#this man absolutely needs to be knocked down another couple of pegs

[stormyweaver]

I feel like Alastor doesn't like being perceived when he's feeling even slightly under the weather. I also feel like he probably has quite a few different things he's allergic to but has gotten good at avoiding said things. The idea of being seen as anything less than the horrifying hell beast he is makes his skin crawl.

Listen.

We saw this man have a panic attack, not just over his own ego getting an ass beating and y'know the whole holy attack on his fucking torso, but at the mere thought of ANYONE thinking he could give two shits about someone other than himself and his quest for power.

Like he absolutely will slink into the darkest pit of Hell before he let's anyone see him sick/weak/etc. Of all the things he's terrified of, not being seen as absolutely, unnervingly powerful and demonic is one of them.

He's so paranoid and hyper aware and yet we see him get too comfortable at the hotel. So I'm hoping in season 2 we get to see more of him being absolutely on edge and ready to snap if someone so much as glances at him wrong.

We officially diagnose him with: The Issues.

[lilozzzyo3569]

DBF!Captain Price x F!Reader

Summary: Your boyfriend dumps you, so you decide to move out and now you're completely alone. You had managed to keep in touch but after your break up you kind of fell off the face of the earth. So he decides to use some "special connections" to find you. Only to see you are perfectly safe but are now alone.

Warnings: MDNI, female reader is smaller then our lovely Captain (duh man is MASSIVE), I don't own this man (but I guess I wasn't meant to be happy), Female Reader in her mid to late 20s and Captain is in mid 40s, A bit angsty, Reader has curves and hair and John has got it bad for you, Suggestive Smut, John and reader have had a couple drinks but are not inebriated!, Dirty mouth John, Slight sir kink, dry humping on the couch

It was Friday night another long day, you were only two sips into your first jack and coke in and had decided to put on a tank top and a little pair of shorts and order a pizza. A bit later you hear a knock at the door, expecting your pizza but instead you are greeted by Captain John Price standing there looking very pissed off. You had just moved into your new apartment after your boyfriend had decided to dump you out of nowhere. Feeling so embarrassed and hurt you didn't even tell your father or anyone because they had all warned you that he was no good. So imagine your surprise to see Your fathers best friend staring down at you with a mix of irritation and anger. "Why did you move, and why are you here, and when did you move here, do you have any idea how hard it was to find you, where is that wanker?" You sigh deeply before moving so he can continue taking off his shoes and walking in to look around your new apartment. He follows you to the kitchen to join you for a drink, you fix him a whiskey neat before finishing your jack and coke. You finish it before finally speaking "He dumped me so congrats all of you were right." You roll your eyes bending over to make another drink, unaware of the way John's eyes softened after the news. "I'm sorry lass, why didn't you tell us at least your dad?" You finish making your drink, before holding in your tears as you say. "What so he could tell me that he was right and that I never should've gotten involved with him and that I was the idiot that stuck up for him and stood by him and put up with all of his bullshit even with all of the signs that he would end up doing something like this to me and I was still stupid enough to give him all of my time energy and love just for it to all to mean absolutely nothing. Now I'm alone here with nothing but the knowledge that I was the idiot who believed a man who could never love me."

By the end of your rant you were crying and seeing you like this broke John's heart, he had met you for the first time when you came home from college for your father's fourth of July party. This was the first year John was actually able to attend. He had only heard of you from your father and he of course described you as the most amazing human to ever grace the earth, he pegged you as a daddy's girl and he was right. You were the apple of your fathers eye and when he finally got to meet you all the oxygen got ripped from his lungs. Your father had ushered you over to meet him and you looked up at him and said "pleasure to meet you captain, my father speaks highly of you, even though he does that for everyone, a bit of a pushover this one" you say nudging your father making John laugh, you shook his hand and excused yourself to go back to the party. Since that moment John has been fascinated by you, especially when he learned you would be moving closer to his home, you would write him when he was deployed, call him when he was home and you need help since your pansy ass boyfriend wasn't very handy. He cared about you deeply and more than you would every know and when he learned of your relationship from your father he immediately knew that the tosser didn't deserve you. So now seeing you in tears his heart breaks for you, he walks over and wraps you in a harsh bear hug, his large form completely swallowing yours. "I just don't know what I did wrong" you sob into his chest before he looks down at you and grabs your shoulders pulling you back to look up into his eyes. "No! I promise you did nothing wrong that idiot didn't deserve you. You are intelligent, witty, loving, caring, kind, understanding, adorable, strong, and absolutely beautiful and if that boy couldn't see that the there was something chemically wrong with him, not you love. And if you want me to go explain that to him, I would gladly do that for you." You giggle softly up at him before shaking your head, making him smile down at you. He gently wipes your tears and hold your chin to look up at him getting lost in your big innocent eyes. "Besides how could anyone not love you, you're perfect love." Almost as if gravity is pulling you towards him you notice his eyes flicker down to your lips and back to your eyes before you bite your lip and move to your tip toes to get closer to him as he leans down. Your lips are so close you can feel his beard touching your lips before you hear your doorbell ring effectively breaking the spell you both were under. You giggle breathlessly as you move out of his grasp to grab the pizza.

You open the door to grab the pizza, opening the door to see a man holding the pizza before smiling at you. "Well hello gorgeous, did you order a large sausage?" he said with a wink before you rolled your eyes, the man looked cocky wiggling his eyebrows before all of a sudden he looked as if he had seen a ghost, before stammering. "Can I help you mate?" John asked behind you with his arms crossed looking even larger and more intimidating than you had ever seen him look before. "N-n-no ss-s-s-ir, I-I-I didn't I-um I'm sorry" he quickly hands you the pizza before running away as if his life depended on it. You turn to peer up at John looking annoyed with his eyebrows furrowed as he looked down only just now noticing what you were wearing the tiny tank top that barely contained your curves and a tiny pair of shorts that hardly covered your luscious rear, making his mouth almost start watering. You smiled asking "Jeez did you have to scare him half to death?' you chuckled as you pass him to walk to the couch. John chuckled biting his lip watching your body as you sway toward the couch as he follows grabbing your drinks, eyeing you as if you were prey. You sit and start to eat a slice of pizza as you scan for something to watch. John hesitantly takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around you. You snuggle up to him as he eats a couple slices as well.

After finishing up the pizza, mostly John, he gets up to put your pizza away and grab another drink for himself. While walking back to the couch he notices you have turned it to some romantic comedy or something and were starting to tear up. He tells you to scoot over before positioning himself in the corner of he couch opening his legs and telling you to sit on his lap. You bite your lip, as you crawl into his lap before he wraps his strong arms around you "Now now lovie, it's okay" he gently strokes your hair trying to soothe you before turning the channel to some crappy horror movie. You turn and cuddle into his warm chest as he rubs your back trying to ignore how your already tiny shorts had ridden up even further exposing more of you soft skin. You finally stop crying before telling him "thank you for being so nice to me" making John laugh. "Please princess I hate seeing you upset, and that wanker never deserved you anyway. You deserve a man who will love you, cherish you, appreciate you, respect you, take care of you. Not that boy who couldn't see how lucky he was that you even gave him the time of day." He begins to lean down to lift your chin so you can look up at him, with you hands on his chest and his other hand on your lower back. He gently presses his lips against yours, he can taste the only jack and coke you had still on your lips as he moves to wrap his arms fully around you lifting you easily to straddle his lap. He moves his tongue against your supple lips to ask for permission to enter your warm mouth. You open to allow his tongue to take slow tour of your mouth. You quickly move your hands to his broad shoulders while his large hands start to explore your soft curves making you groan when his hands find your backside giving you a firm squeeze making you whimper in his grasp. "See and that's why you need a man and not a boy" he grinds his hips up against yours as he groaning, he can practically feel your throbbing center begging for attention.

You kiss his lips fiercely, biting at his lips as you grind in his lap desperately needing more of his touch. He moans against your lips before moving to your neck and kissing, sucking and nipping at your sensitive neck making you whine as he starts to move your hips furiously against his groin. He groans against you neck "Oh yes princess, you like that? Are you going to cum on my lap? Say yes sir." You release a broken moan of "Yes sir please make me cum." He growls against your neck as he forces you to move faster and harder against him making you throw your head back as you let him use your body, treating you like his own personal ragdoll. Before moving his hands to assertively grab your hips and move his lips up to your ear to whisper "Cum for daddy princess," before biting at your ear lobe forcing your jaw drops as a broken whimper escapes from the very center of your very soul. John continues to grind you along his stiff length still trapped within the confines of his jeans until he finishes hearing and seeing you lose yourself in the pleasure he delivers.

As you finally start to come down from your high, as you feel Johns lips gently kissing your forehead. You giggle at the feel of his stubble before looking up into his eyes still feeling a bit breathless. "That was incredible" causing him to respond with his own chuckle. "Oh lovie we're just getting started" he flirts wiggling his eyebrows before lifting you as if you weighed nothing taking you to your room. Chuckling the whole way.

FIN

I AM SO SORRY THAT I HAVE BEEN GONE. My boyfriend just dumped me and I was busy paying off my debts. So overall life has been a mess! Thank you also for all of the love and support on my work so far, and I am open to suggestions

[spenciebabie]

Would you consider doing a blurb where y/n pegs Spencer-?

“Can you write a thing about Sub!Spencer in a maid dress”

“we have to expand on the grabbing spencer’s booty! like imagine spencer in the kitchen in the morning and then you suprise him by smacking his booty like omg he’s so cute ☺️”

“You give Spencer a belly bulge when you fuck him with a strap”

im really knocking a few out with this one but i feel like they all work together! (sidenote ive got 0 idea if you’re actually able to give someone a bulge with a strap? but let’s pretend)

also! ive got no maid outfit visuals for a man unfortunately but i do have this if you wanna just pretend it’s Spence 👀

— —

It was rare that they had real days off. A whole entire day to themselves where their phones didn’t go off, where they didn’t have to see anyone but each other. So they had to make them count.

When Spencer wakes up in the morning the bed is cold and empty beside him, where she usually is there’s a box instead. It’s neatly wrapped with blush pink paper and a little black bow. He recognizes it and he’s almost hard as a Pavlovian response. She’d gotten him a present. She must’ve been saving it for a day just like this one.

He sits up in the bed and pulls it onto his lap, opening it up to see pretty tissue paper with a little note perched on top.

I’m in the kitchen making breakfast, I’ll need someone to help me clean up. Meet me there when you’re dressed x

He leaves the note on his nightstand and tears into the wrapping, revealing a skimpy little French maid costume. It was a fantasy they’d both talked about but had never actually made happen. He can feel his heart rate pick up at the same time that there’s a rush of blood to his cock.

He probably sets a speed record for how fast he gets changed. Admiring himself in the mirror for a moment before he heads out to the kitchen. She’s sitting at the table, their breakfast all cooked and laid out for him. When she sees him her lips lift up in a smile and her eyes blow wide.

“Baby” she almost gasps, “You look so much better than I even expected” he can’t help but blush. After all this time compliments from her really hit him just as hard as they did in the beginning.

They eat breakfast together, and when it comes time to clean up Spencer gets to work. Taking the plates to the sink, cleaning up from where she’d cooked earlier. She just sits in her chair, admiring the way he moves in the outfit, how when he leans down to place things in the dishwasher she can see his cute little ass peeking out from under the flounced skirt. His pale skin that’s exposed between his panties and his stockings might just be her favorite part of him.

She can’t help herself when she stands up, stealthily coming up behind him to grab his ass with a tight squeeze. He can’t control the little yelp that escapes him at the sudden contact and he can feel the flush creeping up his neck to his face. She removes her hand only to let it come down again in a soft smack, grabbing it with her open palm again.

“I think we can finish up the cleaning later. Watching you is really starting to feel like torture” she moans against his ear, her hand snaking around to his front, gliding up under the hem of his skirt to palm at his cock. He lets a small gasp out.

“Go to the bedroom and wait for me, I can’t go another minute without fucking you” she commands, taking her hands off him then. He misses the touch immidately but he knows it’ll be worth it in the long run. So he races to thier bedroom. Laying himself down to wait for her.

She takes some time to get him ready, laying him down on his stomach and pulling off his panties. Gathering a generous amount of lube on her fingers she pushes them into him. He’s tight around her, but he’s got his face buried in a pillow already, biting down on it to stifle his moans.

“Hey pretty boy, I’m gonna need you to get your face out of those pillows so I can hear those noises” you say, adding another finger, stretching him out slowly. When he doesn’t move you have to bring your other hand up to his head, grabbing his curls roughly and pulling his face up.

He lets out a load moan then at the combined sensations of your fingers inside of him and the ones fisted in his hair. You continue like that for another while, relishing in his noises and the way he squirms beneath you until he seems like he’s ready for more.

“Ready for my strap baby?” You let his head fall back down and he’s nodding gently against the pillows. “That’s not good enough baby, I’m gonna need to hear you say it”

He rolls over onto his back so that you can see him and his perfect flushed face, his lip swollen from where he’s been biting it, a light sheen of sweat coating his forehead.

“Please, I need it” he whines out, looking up at you with those wide eyes.

So you fetch his favorite, putting on the harness nice and snug so you benefit from the friction between your legs too.

When you return to the bed he’s laying back on his stomach, his knees bent beneath him, his ass presented to you.

“No baby” you place a hand on his hip softly, “turn back around, I wanna see that pretty face while I fuck you”

He’s on his back again a second later, it was a slightly more complicated position but it was always worth it.

You work together placing a pillow under his back, pulling his legs up so that they’re up around your hips. You lean down guiding the toy right to his entrance, you’ve got enough lube on it, coupled with the leftover that remained there from your fingers earlier. You’re not met with a lot of resistance as you push in. But you still move slowly, inch by inch.

By the time your strap is buried completely inside of him he’s already a whimpering mess. His cock looks painfully hard, flushed pink and leaking onto his stomach. The skirt of his dress is gathered up around his waist so you’ve got a perfect view.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful” you mutter, the little faces he’s making, the way his eyes screw shut and his lips hang open, filthy moans tumbling from them as you push and and out of him.

Once you work up to a steady rhythm he gets even more vocal, whines and moans that sound like your name escaping him and you push in deeper and deeper on each thrust. His heels digging into your back to keep you close, pulling you in closer each time.

That’s when you spot it, the little bulge that forms in his lower stomach when you’re buried as deep as possible inside of him. You pull out and push right back in again just to see it rise and fall. It looks fucking amazing, you can feel yourself dripping against the harness as it presses up between your legs, absolutely soaking the panties that come between the two.

“Fuck baby, I can see my cock in your stomach” you moan, grabbing one of his hands and placing it on the bulge, fucking up into his palm now.

“You feel that, that’s me so deep inside you. You’re mine, your my pretty boy, you know that?”

His moans are almost completely incoherent now, desperate and a little pathetic almost.

“I’m yours— ah! Fuck! I’m your— uh pretty boy!” He gasps out, harsh breaths and little whines breaking up his sentence. He was close, that much was obvious.

“You’re doing so good for me baby, I want you to cum, can you do that for me?” You say softly, encouraging him. He just nods, his eyes screwing shut, his neck and chest flushed completely.

“Words baby, I need words”

“Please, I’m gonna—” he whimpers as he starts to shake, cumming around your strap, his cock pulsing and cumming in ropes all over his stomach and the skirt of his pretty little maids outfit.

By the time he was done, and you were pulling out slowly he looked exhausted but his eyes gazed up at you with the most adoring dopey grin.

“Did you cum?” He asks, soft and sweet. You shake your head, you hadn’t but it almost didn’t even matter.

“No, but that’s alright, I wanted you to have a nice time” you lay next to him, unfastening the harness and dumping it over the side of the bed. Turning over to look at him he still had those doe eyes trained on you.

“That’s not gonna cut it” he shakes his head, his hand reaching down between your legs, fingers teasing along the crotch of your paintes.

“You’re fucking soaked baby, why don’t you sit up here on my face and let me thank you, huh?”

And how could you refuse that offer.

[ppersonna]

tempestuous - kth | m

tem·pes·tu·ous - adjective - characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion

↳ summary- There’s no one who riles you up more than Kim Taehyung, your best friend’s brother.  He knows exactly how to make you fly off the handle.

↳ rating- explicit / 18+

↳ word count- 6.8k

↳ pairing- taehyung x reader

↳ genre- smut, minor angst i guess in the form of fighting, this is one big pile of smut, there’s some fluff too

↳ warnings- yikes where to begin.  angry sex, penetrative sex, unprotected sex (don’t be like dis), slapping, spanking, pain kink, dom/sub elements, facefucking, really rough sex, finger sucking, derogatory names, uhhh name calling, hate sex, tae is fuckin nasty yall im thriving

↳ a/n- I HAD TO REUPLOAD bc tumblr sucks lol well folks. here we are.  i was given a prompt by @ladyartemesia​ so i blame her.  as for tae, he really came for me this week and completely wrecked me, love that for me. i really popped off here and it’s only edited by me so i’m SORRY if there’s a lot of mistakes.  fun fact i actually wrote almost 10k of another version of this but it frustrated me so badly i scrapped it lmao  🤡 HERE WE GO! Enjoy!  feel free to send in your requests and i promise to try and get it done for you! 

Kim Taehyung could only be described in a few words.

Infuriating, bothersome, vexing.

Gorgeous, breathtaking, suave.

Absolutely, inherently maddening.

And you hate how much you absolutely melt underneath his gaze, the way your heart leaps into your throat with a single word.  Your body, the ultimate betrayer, opens up to him as your brain screams to abort, reverse, go back to start and do not pass go.

Kim Taehyung is not just the bane of your existence, no.  He’s the little brother of your best friend, Kim Namjoon.   Joonie had been in your life since you were in first grade and he in second.  Taehyung was your age, but you hit it off with the older boy and haven’t separated since.  Your mothers joked that you would get married one day and continue on the Kim line.  Until they found out that Namjoon was 1) bisexual and 2) hopelessly in love with, ironically, a man named Kim Seokjin.   He reasoned to his parents that they would at least carry on the Kim name.  

Where Namjoon was sweet, caring, and deeply compassionate towards you, Taehyung was his alter.  Taehyung was brash, cocky and relished in watching you squirm, whether it be out of fury or the god forsaken sexual tension.  All growing up, he was the one to pull your pigtails, trip you into puddles of mud, and tease you in front of your friends. Namjoon, ever the faithful companion, was always there to pick up the pieces of what Taehyung broke.

It’s been that way with Taehyung ever since. A constant tug of war with each other, both unwilling to give a single inch to the opponent.  

Your relationship with Namjoon remained steadfast as ever.  Namjoon eventually moved in with his now-husband, Seokjin, who easily settled into your life as an additional partner in crime.  You spent most of your days and nights settled into the couch, snuggled somehow in between or next to one of the two men you cherished most.  You had the two best friends you could ask for and a happy life, blissfully Taehyung-free.

Until it wasn’t.

A loud knock wakes you from an unexpected nap on Namjoon’s couch.  Your eyes crack open against the glare of the sunlight streaming through the windows.  It takes a moment to gather your surroundings.  You recognize that you’re in Namjoon and Seokjin’s apartment, and judging by the silence, you’re definitely alone there.  As you reach for your phone, the screen lights up the time.  5:34 pm.  Well, shit. You remember eating brunch and drinking mimosas at noon with your best friends and then lying on the couch to watch Netflix.  How had you fallen asleep for five hours?  How did you not wake? What the fuck did Jin put in his mimosas?

The knock is insistent again, louder this time.

“Joon! Jin! it’s me! Open up!”

The voice sounds familiar in your sleep-addled mind, but not quite enough to pinpoint it.   You push your limp body off the couch and wince at the feeling of sore muscles.  Couch sleeping isn’t all it’s cracked up to be once you’re past the age of 25.

“Sorry, Namjoon isn’t here-,” You open the door to explain to the guest and you’re cut off.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

You rub at your sleepy eyes and allow your vision to focus, only to feel your blood stand still in your veins.

Kim Taehyung.  Of fucking course.

“What do you mean, why am I here? I’m always here,” you tut as you fold your arms to your chest.  “What are you doing here?”

He rolls his eyes and holds up his hands, two suitcases clutched in each.  Who the fuck carries 4 suitcases up three flights of stairs? Kim annoying ass Taehyung does, apparently.

“I’m moving in.”  He pushes past you and into the living room.  

Your mouth gapes open.  Namjoon certainly didn’t tell you this.  Taehyung looks back at chuckles at your reaction.

“I’m guessing your best friend didn’t tell you the happy news?”

You shut your mouth, quickly jumping back into composure.  “No, he failed to mention that,” you sniff.  “I thought you lived with your girlfriend in Gangnam?  What was her name? Rose or whatever?”

Tae stiffens, just slightly for a moment, before he plasters back on the bravado.  “Obviously not anymore.  We broke up, she kept the apartment.  Got tired of moping at my mom’s house and I told Namjoon I wanted to come back to the city.”

You feel a slight tug at your stomach, guilt, perhaps?  You clear your throat.  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

He laughs as he sits on the couch, instantly throwing his feet onto the coffee table, like a heathen.  “No, you’re not.”  

“What do you mean, no I’m not? God, sorry for being polite!”

This, you reason, is why you can’t sustain longer than 5 minutes of civilized conversation with your best friend’s younger brother.  He’s impossible.

He just smirks, and you know he loves the rise he gets out of you.

“Because I know you, and I know you don’t give a fuck about my love life.”

Au contraire. If only he knew just how much you gave a fuck.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be nice to you!” you nearly stamp your foot in frustration but hold yourself back. That would be too good of ammo for him to use against you.

“Okay, fine,” he acquiesces. “Whatever helps you feel you’re a good person.”

You’re seeing red and you know you want to continue screaming at him but you will not stoop to his level.

“Christ, I haven’t seen you in months and you’re still an asshole,” you say as you grab your keys and shoes. “And also, Jin will kill you if he sees your feet on his coffee table.”

You whip yourself around and open the door to leave and hear him call over your shoulder.

“Good to see you too, doll! Love the hairstyle, by the way.”

You close the door with a growl leaving your throat.  The absolute audacity of that man.

You stomp towards the elevator to take yourself to the ground level, when you catch your reflection in the shiny metal. Your hair is in what you can only lovingly call a complete hornet’s nest. It’s ratted and sticking out in places and you feel your cheeks burn.  Your first reintroduction with Taehyung is with a fight AND with you looking like a fool.

This would not do. No, sir.

“Kim Namjoon!” you shriek into your cell phone.  You’re awkwardly pressing it against your ear with your shoulder as you walk out of the convenience store under your apartment building with 3 bottles of soju and a six-pack of beer. You needed to drown your shame and sorrow, and fast.

“Hello, love of my life and moon of my stars,” your best friend replies and you can hear Seokjin chuckle in the background.

“No!” You chide, already cracking a beer open as you storm into your apartment building. “Don’t you Khal Drogo me, mister! Why the fuck didn’t you tell me your fucking asshole brother was moving in with you?!”

Namjoon is silent and you can tell he’s wincing on the other end of the phone. “Oops?” He offers.

“Yeah, big oops! A heads up would have been nice! Like, ‘hey best friend, your worst enemy of all time is moving in today. Maybe you shouldn’t fall asleep on my couch and wake up looking like Frankenstein’s ugly wife. Oh, and also my handsome boyfriend and I will just happen to not be there when he arrives’.”

By this time, you can tell Namjoon has put you on speakerphone because you can hear their rich laughter loud and clear. Rude bitches.

You stab your key code into your door and lock yourself in, chugging as much of the beer as you could handle.

“At least, even in her rants she thinks I’m handsome,” Jin gloats.

“I’m sorry babe,” Namjoon sighs as he finally calms down. “I didn’t know he would be there today. I just found out about it last night.”

You nibbled at your bottom lip, the annoying pit in your stomach feeling simultaneously guilty that he went through a breakup, unbridled joy that something brought him down a peg, and just a dash of excitement that he’s single now.

You let out a breath. “It’s okay, Joon.  It just surprised me to see him.”

Jin butts in, “And because you have a big, fat, unresolved crush on him.”

“Jin!” You admonish. The couple laughs again and you roll your eyes, asking yourself why you put up with the two. “I do not!”

They both hum a non-committal answer, implying they don’t believe you in the slightest.

“Whatever.  What are you guys doing, anyway?”

“We just got home from shopping.  God, Jin looked so good in these jeans he tried on.  I was actually just about to suck his coc-,”

“Kim Namjoon, do not finish that sentence! I do not wish to hear it!” You try to remain firm, but dissolve into giggles with the pair.

You could never stay mad at Namjoon long, even if his brother was the devil incarnate.

“Darling,” Jin calls through the phone.  “I still expect to see you at our place tonight for our sleepover.”

Christ, you had forgotten all about your scheduled sleepover night.  It was tradition and one of your favorite parts of your friendship with the couple.  Jin, a literal chef, prepared a five star meal along with dessert for you while you binge watched Netflix and talked incessantly.

But you also usually slept in their spare bedroom.  The exact one that Taehyung would be occupying.

“Fuck, while he’s there?”

“Oh suck it up,” Jin chides, like he’s your mother. “He’s probably not even going to leave his room.  You’re not getting out of this.  I’m making strawberry cheesecake.”

Your mouth waters at the idea of Jin’s famous cheesecake.  

“Fine, but I get to lick the bowl and not Namjoon.  Those are my terms.”

Namjoon squawked in defiance as Jin laughed.  “I agree to your terms.  Be at our place by 8.”

As you hung up the phone, you checked the time.  6:40.  God, he hadn’t left you with much time to get ready, did he?

And you definitely needed to get ready.  There was no way you were entering a room where Kim Taehyung exists looking like booboo the fool, not again.

Your fingers press the 6 digit passcode to Namjoon and Seokjin’s apartment, arms heavy laden with your bag of toiletries and pajamas, and a bag full of wine.

“Honey, I’m home!” You announce as you toe off your shoes and slide into the combined kitchen and living room.

You receive no reply, but greeted with the amused face of none other than the object of your filthiest dreams, Taehyung.

“Pet names already?  We’re moving pretty fast, wouldn’t you say?” He asks you as he lounges at the kitchen table.  He watches you open the fridge to set the wine, as comfortable in their home as you are in yours.

“Fuck off,” you grumble. “Where’s your brother?”

Tae seemed absolutely tickled by your disgruntlement.  “I think they mentioned something about taking a shower.  That was 20 minutes ago, though.”

“Great,” you sigh. “Those fucking horn dogs act as if they’re still newlyweds.  We’ll be waiting awhile.”  

You tug off your sweater, leaving you to remain in a fitted tank top and yoga pants.  You tried to maintain a comfortable look as you dressed for the evening, while keeping in mind which leggings hugged your ass and showed off your toned thighs, and a tank top that dipped low to your cleavage.  Okay, so maybe you had ulterior motives. You wanted to make up for your dreadful appearance earlier and make him squirm, payback for the years of him doing it to you.

You watch him as he lets his eyes roam your body, eying you like he wants to ravage you completely. You feel victorious… and also turned on. Fuck, you played yourself.

You flop onto the couch in a huff and Tae snorts before joining you.

“What’s so funny?” You eye him suspiciously.

“Nothing,” his smile feigns innocence. “I’m not allowed to laugh?”

You sniff in annoyance, not eager to fall for his tricks. “You’re allowed to do whatever you want, your highness.”  Sarcasm drips from your voice and Tae finds it even more humorous.

“I see you’re still a sassy bitch.”

You gasp, audibly startled by his language and rise from the couch, fists clenched.

“I see you’re still a conceited dick!”

He rises to meet you where you stand, eyes boring into your own with his stupid sexy grin on his face.  “I see you’re still not one to back down from a fight.”

You step closer, close enough to feel his breath on your face.  Idly, you note it smells like peppermint and you move closer on reflex.

“Yeah? I see you’re still not one to avoid starting a fight in the first place!” you huff.

“Oh, I started it?”  

“Yeah, you started it! You called me a bitch!”

You can’t believe this is happening.  You feel as if you’re 6 again and fighting with him over a toy.

“A sassy bitch, actually,” he corrects, taking another step forward, bodies touching.

“Fuck you!”

“Only if you say please,” he quips before he closes the distance and presses his lips to yours in a scorching hot kiss.

There’s not even a moment of hesitation on your end, immediately pulling him even closer and wrapping your arms around his neck and allowing his tongue entrance to your mouth.  Your body reacts to his instantly, as if it’s wired to respond to him and him only. Your mind was blank of anything except Tae, only Tae please, and you acted purely on instinct alone.  And instinct was pulling him closer and begging, more, anything he could give.

The sound of laughter coming from the hallway pulls you apart, neither of you wanting to get caught by Namjoon or Jin.  You stare at him, his lips are cherry red and slightly swollen and the image burns into your retinas.  He has such pretty lips after you’ve kissed him.

“Oh hey! What’s going on here?” Namjoon asks as he notices the intense eye-battle you’re engaged in with his younger brother.

It shakes you out of the spell, eye contact broken and hypnosis halted.  

“Just, errrr,” you falter to find the right words to explain the situation.

“Just getting reacquainted.”  Tae sounds completely unaffected, as if the passionate kiss you shared with him seconds ago was but a distant memory.  Asshole.

“I’m surprised you two haven’t thrown anything at each other yet,” Jin laughs. “Or thrown yourselves at each other.”

Both you and Taehyung whip to look directly at Jin.

“Her!?” Tae is incredulous. “Gross.”

You’ll never admit out loud that his words wound you.

“You’re an asshole, Taehyung,” you punctuate your words by turning away from him and towards Namjoon, who appears amused as ever.

“Ah, I love when my best friend and my little brother are screaming at each other.  Feels like old times.  Can one of you cry now to complete the moment?”

Taehyung grumbles under his breath, something you can’t catch, and stalks off to his room.  The slam of his door reverberates in the apartment and Jin jumps and turns to yell down the hall at his brother-in-law.

“Yah! Don’t break my apartment! I still owe money on this!”

Despite Taehyung’s appearance every so often in the kitchen or living room, the rest of the night goes on with no annoying disturbances.

Jin spoils you and his husband with expensive food, and the best cheesecake you’ve ever eaten in your life.  Plus, you’re given the bowl to lick clean despite a desperately adorable pout from Namjoon you were sure would persuade Jin.

You’re settled on the couch, snuggling in the middle of the couple as an action movie flickers across the big screen tv.  Truthfully, you haven’t paid attention to a single thing happening, your thoughts entirely too absorbed in Taehyung and that deliciously infuriating kiss.  

Why did he do it?  You couldn’t comprehend his reasoning.  Perhaps he was doing it to piss you off.  He’s never angered you with that level of intimacy before, but you didn’t put it past him.

You’re surprised when the credits of the movie start rolling and Jin and Namjoon fake loud yawns.

“Oh man, I’m beat,” Namjoon lies.

Jin is quick to join. “Me too, I think I’ll pass out the moment I hit the pillow.”

You roll your eyes at the men. “Will you two please go fuck already, I know that’s what you’re going to do.”

Namjoon blanches, but Jin laughs and kisses your cheek. “Ah, my smart, beautiful and chaotic child,” he coos. He leans in to your ear, voice low to keep his husband from listening. “I don’t think I’m the only one in this house who’s going to get pounded into a mattress.”  

He pulls back and winks at you, deftly ignores Namjoon’s confusion and sadness of being left out, and drags him to their bedroom with a loud ‘goodnight’.

You’re left to stew in your own emotions, which is never a good thing.  Was the tension that obvious? You always assumed it had been one-sided, but the kiss befuddled you more than you’d like to admit.

It finally snapped in your mind, all the dots connecting. That’s why he did it.  

He kissed you so you’d stew and simmer and eventually erupt, like you’re doing now.  Taehyung knows you too well for your comfort.

You grab your bag of clothes and storm towards the bathroom to change, promising yourself to forget about the kiss and not give Taehyung what he wants.

Except you’re not very good at promises, especially to yourself.

You can’t say you’re excited to sleep on the couch again.  While it’s a nice couch, it’s definitely not a bed and your back will pay the price tomorrow.  You supposed it was better than the floor, but not by much.

After dressing in your pajamas, a purposefully picked out combination of tiny shorts and a sports bra in case Taehyung happens upon you, you return to your bed for the night in the living room.

Namjoon graciously left blankets and a pillow out for you, and you’re complaining internally about Taehyung the whole time you make yourself a spot to sleep.  If it wasn’t for stupid Taehyung and his stupid existence, you’d be sleeping like a baby on the guest bed that you loved.  But no, they relegated you to the couch like an animal.

Sleep was not in the cards tonight, it seems.  You toss and turn and try to press at the cushions to move a lump around and get comfortable, but it’s all for naught.  You’re wide awake and very, very uncomfortable.  You didn’t understand how you fell asleep on this very couch earlier in the day.  Maybe the mimosas you had at brunch with the couple had been helpful.

A thought crosses your mind. Alcohol.  Maybe a nice glass of wine would help tuck you into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.  A nightcap. Of course.  You were angry at yourself for not thinking of it hours ago.  

You slipped out of your disagreeable bed and into the kitchen, trying not to make a sound.  Jin’s beloved kitchen was also an echo chamber of noise, even the slightest sound bouncing off its walls and amplifying it through the whole house.  You still remember the way you jumped five feet in the air when Jin accidentally broke a plate.  It sounded like a bomb explosion.

You bite your lip as you carefully pry the cabinet of wine glasses open, careful to not even allow a squeak of a hinge.  You silently beg to stay silent and not wake anyone in the house.  You didn’t want to be caught drinking wine at 2 am in the dark, that’s difficult to explain without looking like an alcoholic.

With glass in hand, you tiptoe the fridge to pull out the bottle of merlot, thinking the heavy red wine would be the best to get you sleepy and quick.  

You tug the cork from the bottle and pour a healthy amount into the stemware with a smile.  Liquid sleep.  And you had done it without making a single sound. Perfection. The smell of the alcohol permeates through your nose as you lift the glass, placing it to your lips to take a sip.

“Wine at this hour?” the unexpected voice of Taehyung echos through the kitchen, making you yelp and jolting you hard enough that you drop the hard-earned glass of wine to the tile floor, red wine splashing as the sound of glass shattering is reverberating off the walls.

“Fuck!” You screech at the intruder.  Taehyung doubles over, laughing as if he’s seen nothing funnier than what just transpired.  “You asshole!”

You listen past Taehyung’s incessant laughter to ensure the owners of the apartment hadn’t awoken during the ruckus. You definitely did not want to face a tired and agitated Jin to tell him you shattered one of his Tiffany crystal goblets.

Beyond Tae, the house is silent and you’re thanking whatever god is listening for keeping your best friends asleep.

The wine is everywhere, spilling into the cracks of the tile and splattered on the walls.  The crystal stemware is too; it shattered with such force that you see flecks of the shrapnel in all four corners of the room.

Tae wipes a tear from his face and you square a tempestuous look at him.  

“Fucking help me!  You made me drop it!”

Through snorts, he replies. “I didn’t make you do anything.  You did that on your own.”  Although he is arguing with you, he’s gingerly stepping into the kitchen and kneeling to pick up shards of glass.

“I wouldn’t have dropped it if you had come into the room like a fucking normal person,” you grit.

He collects the glass, the delighted grin on his face now permanent.  He’s relishing in your annoyance, you know he is, and it burns you from the inside out.

“It’s not my fault you didn’t hear me.”

“You could have turned on the light! Why were you in the dark like a freak?”  You’re grasping at straws, anything to pin this all on him.  It would quell the fire in your belly to push it all onto him, make you feel as if you’ve won.

Taehyung levels a look at you.  “And you weren’t also in the dark? Pouring a gallon of wine for yourself?”

Your cheeks flare red. Fuck, he definitely caught you there.  You’re playing verbal poker with him and the hand you’re dealt falls flat compared to his royal flush.  He grins, knowing he has you.

“Fuck you,” you snark, you go to insult when you’re backed into a corner.

“Ah, doll,” he winks.  “We talked about that.  Be careful what you wish for.”

The fire inside you is roaring to an inferno now, flames licking to your core. It’s a complicated mixture of anger and sexual energy. It’s infuriating that he’s able to make you feel every single emotion to the extreme. You hate that arguing with him turns you on, like it’s some perverse foreplay.  

You moisten your lips with your tongue as you process his words, and Tae’s eyes hungrily track the appendage as it glides over your lips.

“Fuck. You.” You emphasize perfunctorily.

All thoughts of wiping up the mess are forgotten as Tae drags both you and himself off the floor and steers you to the living room, lips feverish against your own.  He pushes you into the couch and tugs his shirt off, before replacing his lips to yours.  

“Fuck, you’re so fucking hot when you’re a bitch,” he groans as he snaps the strap of your sports bra. “Seeing you get all worked up makes me so hard.”

He’s not wrong. You can see through his mesh basketball shorts that he’s sporting an impressive package, rock hard in its clothed prison.

“Yeah?” You bite at his lip.

“Hell yeah.”  His hands work to the elastic band under your bust and tugs the offending material off, tits springing free as he throws it to the floor.  

“Holy shit,” Taehyung breathes as he gets a good look at your chest.

You shake them gently, grinning as he watches them jiggle.  “You like what you see?”

He smirks and pinches a nipple, wiping the coy smile off your face and turning it into a moan.  “I like when you’re mouthy, but don’t push it.”  

He lowers his head to the nipple he’s still pinching in his fingers, licking at it and replacing his fingers with his mouth.  He’s moaning around the nipple, and you’re gasping for more.  His hot mouth sucks at you, teeth nibbling and pulling it until you’re whimpering in delicious pain.

“Fuck!” He cries as he pops away from your nipple.  “You’re so fucking hot.”

Your body warms at his words, arousal pooling between your legs.  You’re sure that your thighs are drenched in your essence.

He slurps your neglected breast into his mouth, ensuring your nipples are equally abused.  His tongue is skilled but his mouth is messy, saliva dripping all around your tit and it’s the hottest fucking sight you’ve ever seen.

He’s pulling away again and pinching both nipples with his hands simultaneously. “And you’re so fucking annoying.”

You’re pleading for more or to stop, you’re not sure.  He continues.

“Mm, I’m gonna fuck you until you’re a good little bitch for me. Listening to every fucking thing I say.”

He releases your nipples, and you finally find the ability to focus again, staring directly at him.

“Oh, you think you’re that good?” you sass as you attempt to catch your breath.  “Put your money where your mouth is.”

Tae grips your chin roughly, face inches away from yours with a sadistic grin. “You’re going to regret those words, baby.”

Instantly, he’s standing up and tugging his shorts down to let his cock spring free.  Your brain misfires as you visually measure his cock and your mouth goes dry. He’s thick and long. The bulbous head is dripping pre-cum, begging you to slurp it up.

“How about I put my money where your mouth is,” he suggests as he grabs a fistful of your hair.  

He teasingly rubs his cock on your lips and cheeks, makes you whimper with need. Your tongue is sticking out, desperate for him to lay it on you.

“Already so fucking greedy,” he grunts and in one motion, directs his dick into your open mouth. “I’ll fuck your throat, yeah? Greedy bitches love getting face fucked.”  He is still for a beat more, eyes searching yours for consent and you nod with his cock still in your mouth. He winks, then begins a rapid pace, his cock fucking into your mouth and throat.

You’re sure you look like a goddamn mess with saliva dripping from your mouth as Taehyung punishes your throat with his thrusts.  You gag and moan around him, and he tightens his grip in your hair as you see stars.

It’s indescribable. Never have you felt such pleasure from sucking cock, but Tae commands your entire body, willing you to drip with anticipation.

“My little fuck toy, god you feel so fucking good,” he hisses. “You’re gonna swallow my cum, baby.”  

His hips are stuttering, he’s close, and you’re sucking him harder, cheeks pulling in harder to vacuum him in. The pressure makes him groan out loud.

“So good, so fucking good. Get ready for your prize, baby,” his voice cuts off in a gasp, as his cock twitches violently. His legs shake and he doesn’t hold back the moans of his orgasm, gasping as he feels rope after rope spill down your hot throat.

Your big doll eyes are twinkling up at him, lips still wrapped around his cock. Taehyung is sure it’s the hottest thing he’ll ever see in his lifetime.  You on your knees, subservient to him and thriving for it.

“Mmm, I like it when your mouth is full like this,” he slowly pulls out of your mouth, albeit reluctantly. “Can’t talk back to me when you’re sucking my cock like a whore.”

You smile and stick out your tongue, pleased to show him you happily accepted his cum.

“Good fucking girl,” he coos as he grips your chin again. “Did you like my cum?”

You nod, brain fried from the heat of the room.

“Use your words,” he grits and grips your jaw harder. It’s enough to shock you into compliance.

“Y-yes! Fuck, I love your cum, Tae.”  Your words are breathy and raspy, throat raw from his barrage.

“I knew you would, filthy slut.  Sit on the couch.” He orders and you’re quick to scurry and sit on the makeshift bed you made.

His hands are tugging down your shorts quickly. No teasing or seduction here, not now. You lift your hips, and he throws them aside. Your legs close on reflex, making him growl.

“Do not hide yourself from me.” His tone is dark and you can’t help but shiver as you open yourself up to him. You want to talk back, want to fight and bite at him, but you’re quickly losing the ability to even speak, and you’re aching for him.

“Where’s my mouthy little bitch? You’re awfully quiet. Did I finally break you?” He teases, pressing your legs upward, knees to your ears. It’s pornographic how on display you are for him, soaking wet cunt front and center.

“The great Taehyung thinks he can break me with his cock,” you mewl, mustering all the false confidence you can. You’re lying through your fucking teeth and you both know it, but you continue. “You’ll have to do more than that.”

Your pussy is quaking with need now, desperate for a single touch. His hands maintain purchase on the backs of your thighs, holding them up.

“There she is,” he bites at the flesh of your leg closest to him which makes you jerk in his hold. “Gonna fuck the brat right out of you.”

He removes a hand from your thigh and you’re quick to pick up the slack, holding the thigh in place to maintain his open show of your pussy.

“Try me,” you murmur, and you’re instantly regretting your words as a harsh slap descends and lands square on your cunt.

You nearly scream, pain flooding your wanton pussy, before turning into delicious pleasure that stings and tingles right at your clit. It sizzles, and warmth blooms where his hand was.

“That’s for not believing me.”  His eyes are feral and you want to bottle this memory forever.  

Another slap has your legs trembling, eyes rolling back as the burn turns to a low heat.  You’re dripping your wetness down onto the couch and Jin will kill you, but you don’t care.

“That was for calling me a dick,” he smirks.

Smack.

Tears spring in your eyes as the slap brings more pleasure than pain, desperately close to your edge.

“Look at you, you could cum just from this, couldn’t you?”

“F-fuck! Yes, please, I need more, please!” Your cunt is clenching around nothing, desperate for friction and leaking out of you like a faucet. Taehyung marvels at you, legs spread so far, with a cunt weeping with arousal for more. He can’t wait to dive in there, but he’s not finished with you yet.

“More? I don’t know if you deserve more, baby, you’ve been awfully mean to me,” he tsks, breathing hot air on your clit, making you whine.

“P-please! I’m sorry!” You’re sure you will black out with how desperately you need him. You need him more than you need oxygen.

“Beg.”

You’re quick to submit. Thoughts of fighting back are long gone, you’re his wanton little slut now.

“Please, please! Pleaseeeee, make me cum! I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” He asks with an arch of his eyebrow.

You’re nodding wildly, gazing at him with desperate, watery eyes.

“Anything, I need you so f-fucking bad it hurts!”

By the time the words leave your lips, he’s thrusting two fingers into your cunt viciously, fingering you ferociously. He arches them, rubbing against your spongy g-spot and making you scream. He knows you’re close, knows you only need one little push off the edge. He plays your body like a skilled practitioner.

“Cum on my fingers, baby. Let me see my greedy little bitch milk my fingers.”

Your body and mind react accordingly, deep down you know your body is owned completely by him, all his.  Your orgasm explodes and you think you actually scream, your vision is black and your hearing goes silent for a moment as you cum harder than you have in your life.  You’re squeezing his fingers with your pussy so tight and Taehyung is gently licking all the juices from his hand with his fingers still inside you.

It takes time to descend from the separate plane of existence Taehyung sent you too, but you come back and watch as he laps at the liquid of your cunt and on his hand like it’s a vital necessity. His fingers remain in your walls, and he refuses to break eye contact with you. You’re positive you could cum again from the sight.

“My little cockslut tastes so good, just how I like,” he tells you tenderly. “Like cherries, so sweet.  My little cherry.”

Your cunt is aching and warming back to life as he pulls his fingers out of you. The loss is immense and you’re whimpering for more.

“Ah, ah,” he hushes you. “No whining. You’ll take what I give you.  Suck my fingers clean. Taste yourself.”

He presses his fingers into your mouth, earning him a sigh, the taste of you filling your mouth. You swirl your tongue around his fingers and suckle each one to ensure your tongue laves the entire surface.

“Fuck,” he whispers and it’s his first crack in his steel reserve. “Needy.”

He pulls his fingers from your mouth and presses against you to kiss. It’s gentle, sweet, and nothing compared to the man assailing your pussy with slaps moments ago. It thrills you just the same and you return in kind, threading your hands in his wavy hair.

He pulls away and presses his forehead against yours, a moment of gentleness you actively welcome.

“This little cunt ready for me?” He whispers and you’re whimpering your reply.

“Please, fuck me. I need you to fuck me until I can’t walk.”

He grins and presses a kiss to your lips again, sweet and chaste, before he pulls away and slides down to attach those same sinful lips to your pussy.

It’s so unexpected you flinch and manage a cry as his tongue slurps up more of your delicious essence and his mouth moves to suckle on your clit. You’re not sure where the fuck he learned these tricks, but you know now you will never let him go.

“Taehyung!” You cry at the sensation. “Fuck!”

After receiving the reaction he was desperate for, he slips his tongue into your walls deep and gathers as much of you as he can, before he’s pulling back and swallowing you down.

“I couldn’t resist. Your cunt was made for me to devour.”

He doesn’t allow for a response as he throws your legs over his shoulders and lines himself up at your core.

“Condom?” He asks you, and you level a quick look at him.

“I don’t live here! I don’t have any!”  You’re savage, terrified he’ll pull his cock away when all you want and can think about is the way he’ll feel pounding into you.

“Don’t be rude, baby,” he reminds you with a swat to your ass. “I’m clean, promise. You?”

You nod quickly, reveling in the spank’s tingle. “Same. I have an IUD too,” you sigh. Thank god for medical birth control implants.

“Good. You’re the only pussy I’m gonna fuck from now on,” he promises. You know you must talk about this later, when you’re thinking rationally and not with your aching pussy.  

Your heart stutters and leaps into your throat but all is forgotten as he plunges into your tight heat.

“Ohhhhh shit, ahhh,” he gasps. “Baby, you’re so fucking tight and wet.”  He’s on the verge of whining, becoming just as needy and greedy as you.  He wastes no time in setting a pace.

His cock fills you completely, his angle allowing him to go as deep as he can, pressing the beginning of your cervix.  This is surely what heaven feels like.  It feels like the completeness you feel with Taehyung fully sheathed inside you.

It comes alive with flames and explosions as he fucks you, hips pistoning to plunge in and out of you with tenacity.  He fucks you like he laces every single thrust with more, more than just sex. He fucks you with purpose.

You’re moaning like a pornstar now, high pitch wails and gasps and breathy moans are all you can manage. “Taehyung, yes! Feel so g-g-good!”

“That’s right baby, scream my fucking name. Make sure all the neighbors know who fucking ruined you,” he nearly spits, cock thrusting into your core at an impossible speed. “I want you to tell all of Korea who owns you. Who owns this tiny little cunt?”

The wind leaves you, and you’re gasping for air, gaping mouth open as you try to reply. It takes him fucking into you harder a few times before you feel it rush back into you.

“You, Taehyung!  You!  Fuck, I love your cock!”

His thumb rubs at your engorged clit, allowing it the friction it seeks.  He bends forward and wraps his other hand around your throat, squeezing.  

Losing air combined with the friction on your clit has you keening, so close to the edge. You try to babble his name but nothing comes out.

“Look at my pretty little slut taking my cock so well,” he praises.  “You have the greediest pussy, don’t you? You need my cock daily, baby. Need to put my mouthy bitch in her place, remind her who’s in charge.”

He slows his pace but his thrusts are punishing, fucking into you as hard as he can. Your orgasm is climbing so impossibly high.

“F-fuck!” You gasp as he releases his grip on your neck. “Gonna cum! Please let me cum!”  

“Yeah baby, cum for me.  Cream your greedy pussy all over my cock.”

The world stops spinning as you hit the height of your climax and plunge down.  Your vision goes black and your body is quivering and convulsing nearly as hard as your cunt is. Taehyung hisses at your walls sucking him in, as if you’re begging for his cum, begging for more.

“Fuck, good girl, baby, holy shit,” he’s breathless and so close.

You’re overstimulated, boneless, but he wrought two of the best orgasms you’ve ever felt in your life and you’ll be damned if you leave him high and dry.  You bite your lip as you move with him, hips pounding against each other. His face is scrunched up and you know he’s close when he’s stuttering on his words.  You take over for him.

“Please cum in me baby, please.  Fill me up. I’m yours, baby, mark my little cunt as yours.”  You don’t know where it’s coming from, but you keep it going. It feels as natural as fucking him does. “Please, Taehyung!”

At the sound of his name leaving you in a whine, he spirals down his own completion. He feels his cock pulse as he empties his load into you, your walls still reverently beckoning for him. He’s calling out your name, grasping at your tits as he finishes and you’re smiling from ear to ear. Your pussy is warm with his seed and you’re positive it’s the way you want to feel every single night.

“Holy fuck,” Taehyung rasps as he pulls his cock out of you. He thrills as he watches his cum follow, slipping out your folds and down your thigh. “I definitely marked you.”

You hum in reply, finally allowing yourself to soak in the haze of orgasmic bliss. Tae presses his head to yours again, kissing you sweetly.

“Come sleep in my bed?” He asks. He means more behind it. He wants to ask you to sleep in his bed every night, stay with him every day, be the one he grows old with. He knows there’s still more to talk about, wounds of the past to heal, but now you’re with him, and he knows he’ll work through anything.

You nod, and kiss him again, understanding his hidden meaning laced in his words.

A sly smile spreads across his face. “Last one to bed has to take the blame for the wineglass,” he teases. Your head spins as if you’ve got whiplash.  He can switch from dominating to sensitive to the little shit he is so quick.

“Hey! No fucking fair! You fucked my ability to run out of me!”

“Shouldn’t have been such a sassy bitch,” he winks before he tears away towards his room.

“Taehyung, you’re an asshole!” You call as you limp your way behind him.

From behind Joon and Jin’s door, a critical voice bellows, “YAH! I’ll kill you if you got your jizz on my couch! And what is this I heard about my glass!!? HEY!  Those are TIFFANY. CRYSTAL. THE DISRESPECT!”

You slip into Taehyung’s bed and wrap yourself around him, the two of you gasping with mischievous giggles.

Kim Taehyung will always be the one who knows how to drive you wild. He’ll always aggravate and infuriate you, send you reeling.

But now you didn’t think you minded it at all.

© ppersonna - 2020 - do not repost on any site, or translate without express permission from author.

[shades-of-stony]

Heavy Angst (And Not-So-Heavy but Still Angsty) Stony Fanfics!

I’m absolutely love a good Tony whump and hurt story so prepare to see a lot of those here! Get your tissues ready!

Push by phoenixreal

Summary: Tony Stark was known for pissing people off, it was a given. Then, after the man everyone thought was nothing more than a selfish prick decided to nearly kill himself saving Manhattan from a nuclear bomb, even the most sure of Tony's bastard status had to rethink it. And then, his team who were sure they had him pegged, they were invited (ordered) to move into Stark Tower with him. To their surprise, they found he had furnished full floors for each of them, somehow knowing their tastes exactly, including a floor dedicated to the resident Asgardian who would only be there some of the time. Surprised, and please, they all wonder at the enigma that is their host. After a couple months, Pepper Potts stops coming around so much, and they realize that something has exchanged between them because they are rather professional to each other. Pepper still frets over Tony, but instead tells the others to keep an eye on him rather than doing it herself. They easily forget that Tony is, and always has been, simply a human civilian. Then things get strange when they find themselves locked down within Stark tower, and after a harrowing viewing of a mysterious video, they find their resident playboy is completely gone.

Note: Prepare to cry and be hurt! This fanfic dabbles with Tony’s insecurity, self-worth, and issues. Please heed the warnings!

The words you choose to say by masterlokisev159

Summary: After the SHRA, the events around Steve’s death and Tony discovering he deleted part of his brain, Tony finally decides he's done enough. With Osborn taken care of, Tony leaves the Avengers and decides to quit being Ironman effective immediately.

He tells himself it doesn't hurt when Steve agrees. Why should it? After everything he's done, the team's better off without him.

However before he can truly move on, there are things he needs to take care of, and it's not long before he realizes he's dangerously close to losing his company. He's desperate and willing to do anything to keep it together.

So when, after months of silence, Steve asks him to drop everything and come work for Shield, Tony finds he doesn't have a choice. He agrees, no matter how much he knows he shouldn't. His reputation isn't exactly the best after the SHRA and he's heard stories of what he'd done as Director. He's knows what he's done. He's knows he's responsible for what happened to Steve.

He just wishes someone had warned him first. He hadn't been prepared to deal with the consequences.

Note: A 1000/10 angst fanfic that made me weep at 3 am in the morning. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. READ IT AND PREPARE TO CRY BUCKETS

Protocol SOTERIA by GoldenFinches

Summary: Friday's primary objective at all times is to protect one Anthony Edward Stark. And she will fulfill that objective no matter what it takes. Even if it means including certain people she thought she would never have to deal with again.

(Basically the Rogue Avengers get some sense knocked into them with the help of Friday and handful of videos.)

Note: A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ANGSTY FANFIC. I CRIED SO MUCH READING THIS. 

Straight to Voicemail by YouMakeMeDokiDoki

Summary: "I DID!" Tony screamed, cutting Steve off mid-sentence and whirling around to glare at him. 

"I CALLED YOU! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!"

Or

The one where no one answered their phone and things got out of hand. 

Note: this will absolutely break you heart.

Sunshine and Luck by ImportedfromMunich2

Summary: Months after Siberia, Steve and the rest of the defectors are pardoned and allowed back onto the Avengers, with the help of Tony Stark. Now that they're back - nothing is the same as before. Tony is even avoiding Steve at all costs.

Then one night - Tony barges into Steve's bedroom while he sleeps, and they have spontaneous, passionate sex.

Only, the Tony Stark he just fucked isn't from this universe.

Now, Steve has to find a way to explain to Tony that he had sex with his counterpart from another dimension.

Note: A good Steve whump fic! 

When You Mess With Him... by REM_It_Up

Summary: During an event with the Avengers, Tony is kidnapped by an unknown group of men right in front of the team. The group who took Tony taunt the Avengers by leaving small clues to Tony's whereabouts. When the kidnappers finally get in contact with the team, they are forced to watch Tony get tortured on camera.

The Avengers desperately search for their missing friend before they never see him again.

The kidnappers are smart and fast, they have everything figured out in order to get away with their plan...They just forgot one thing--

Colonel James Rhodes

Note: Now this is really heavy! Brace yourselves for a kidnapped and tortured tony! Also, protective honey bear aka Rhodey bonus here!

To Need is Not To Want by Brixon

Summary: All his life Tony has been used as a means to someone's end. Always someone's tool in a game. Carelessly thrown aside, once they had no longer use of him. He keeps it bottled up because, because he's Tony Stark. But he's always had this desire that one day someone would come who would stay because they wanted and needed him. He thought he had that with the Avengers, but after everything with the Accords and everyone leaving after Civil War that hope of having something of his to stay was gone.

Despite being burned constantly, Tony still has this wanting. So when Ryder, an old college friend, comes back into his life and actually seems to want to stay because he wants AND needs Tony, Tony is beyond thrilled. Because Ryder is staying. It doesn't matter if the bruises stay too.

But what happens when the Avengers return and Tony finds himself wondering once again exactly what he wants and what he needs.

Note: I’m sure, from the summary, you can tell that it’s a heartbreak here. 

Hiding Things Is All Too Easy - Until It Isn't by audhds

Summary: Tony hasn't been the same since Bucky arrived at Stark Tower. That much is obvious. But Steve is overjoyed to have his best friend back and is somewhat oblivious to how Tony is withdrawing away from him. Because surely Tony is just overworked as usual. He must be quiet and jumpy because he is sleep deprived. And of course he has a few cuts and bruises on the visible parts of his skin - he fights and works for the Avengers as a living. It's part of the job description. Until it isn't.

Will Steve discover the physical and mental trauma that Tony is going through before it is too late?

Note: This is even heavier! Please read the tags carefully! Also, this has some serious Bucky bashing! If you are a Bucky fan but still interested in this, please prepare yourself. 

No Trait As Much As This by KandiSheek

Summary: Tony gets hit with truth serum. It's a terrible time for everyone.

Note: A bit lighter than the others but still angst nonetheless. The added truth serum element makes this even more interesting!

Good For You by @orbingarrow

Summary: Steve doesn't understand why Tony dates people who abuse him. Tony doesn't understand why Steve cares.

The rest is bad choices, good choices, rehab, milkshakes, paintball, YouTube videos, couples therapy and learning to put the past in the past. Or: How Tony finds his happy ending.

Note: Another Tony-in-abusive-relationships fanfic!!

hold the things you wanna say by SailorChibi

Summary: Tony is still a consultant, and between SI, the team and SHIELD he's overworked and exhausted. That's okay.

He and Steve have been having sex for weeks but that's all it is, just sex, and Tony wants more but he'll never get it and that's okay. Really.

What's not okay is the fact that Howard Stark has somehow appeared in the future and is the same as always.

This is definitely going to fuck up his schedule.

Note: Anyone up for some Howard-travels-to-the-future fanfic?

Childhood is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies by MemoryDragon

Summary: Seven-year-old Tony Stark wakes up on a Hydra base, lost, afraid, and alone. He has to overcome his fears before it's too late for the Avengers and Captain America.

Note: De-aged Tony just screams heavy angst and hurt!

Advanced Protocol by masterlokisev159

Summary: The Incursions are coming. The Illuminati have surrendered and everyone has come together to take one last stand.

Everyone except Tony. And Steve is tired of waiting. He wants answers.

There's something the Illuminati aren't telling him.

Note: If you don’t know what the Avalon is in Marvel, I recommend you search it up, or you could read this fic. You will be heartbroken with what you find. 

Flower Child by itsallAvengers

Summary: The point was this, though:

In a hundred million universes, in a hundred million different lives, there would never be a single one of them in which Tony Stark deserved anyone like Steve Rogers. Ever.

So this? Nonsensical.

Note: Another fanfic that highlights child abuse and Tony’s insecurities! 

What Pays All Debts by KandiSheek

Summary: No one is supposed to survive the date written on their skin. And yet Tony's numbers keep piling up.

Note: Angst + Death dates? You could probably foretell how much of a gut-wrench journey this is.

Falling Into You by sabrecmc

Summary: Tony and Steve end up as fuck buddies after the events of The Winter Soldier until Steve calls it off. When Loki's spell wipes all of Steve's memories since the last time Loki was in town, Tony decides it will be so much easier to just not tell Steve they had something of a relationship. Spoiler: It isn't.

Or, how Steve fell in love with Tony and forgot about it, and how Tony fell in love with Steve and realized it.

Note: There are just something about amnesia fanfics that makes it so goddamn heartbreaking. 

Art Freaks and Comic Geeks by Coil

Summary: Tony Stark had made himself a phenomenally renowned writer. The world had fallen in love with the heroes that appeared in his novels; captivated by his vivid words of life and colour.

His next ambition was to publish a comic book series starring the much-beloved heroes of his novels. There was just one problem. Brilliant as Tony may have been with his words, his skills in the field of drawing were less than great. It didn’t help that he barely knew what his characters ought to look like in the first place.

Enter: Mister Steve Rogers – an up-and-coming artist/illustrator with the potential to be brilliant.

Their paths happen to cross at Comic-Con.

Note: this is a much lighter angsty fanfic but is still angsty. It is a Modern AU mixed with Artist!Steve and Writer!Tony.

Unwritten Endings by XtaticPearl

Summary: Tony takes the bullet meant for Captain America at the end of their war and through his death, brings together the team again. Only, he isn't really dead and when he comes back, the equations between the team-mates begin to alter and reform, writing a new story altogether.

Note: Of course, you can’t have an angst fanfic rec without a fake death fanfic!

WIP

Need Is Just A Word by masterlokisev159

Summary: A month has gone by since the war and Tony has never felt more alone. of course, with the unrest within the government, the disappearance of the Avengers and the obvious lack of Steve Rogers, it was only a matter of time before the UN finally flipped out and decided to act on the last available Avenger. Too bad they didn't realise a promise had been made by Captain America to be there when Iron man needed him.

Note: a gut-wrenching Post CA:CW fanfic where tony is suffering the consequences of the civil war.

Take me out tonight by masterlokisev159

Summary: When Steve gets invited to a formal party with the government, Fury tells him he can bring a plus one of his choosing. While listening quietly in the corner, Tony heaves a sigh of relief because the team could really do with some positive publicity and any of the Avengers are a good choice for Steve. Tony just wants Steve to be happy after all, even if he knows Steve's gonna pick Natasha. He knows Steve doesn't like him and he's aware there's never going to be anything more between them. They're barely even friends really.

So of course he's absolutely shocked when a gold filigree letter rests in his palms two days later. He's the worst person for this.

Why on earth did Steve choose him?

Note: AHHHHHHHH, INSECURE TONY IS JUST A FAVORITE. Also, confident!Steve that knows who he wants is just a whole new mood!

The Soul Stone's Sacrifice by masterlokisev159

The soul stone demands a sacrifice that Tony and Steve are not prepared for, but in the end, one life is sacrificed for the many. Steve lets Tony go for the last time and mourns a future they never had.

That is until Tony comes back.

Note: A scenario where Tony and Steve where the ones to go to Vormir. 

[motherjoel]

in case (spencer reid x reader)

summary: you and spencer are each others forever, and spencer vowed to make this christmas your best yet.

a/n: the yard sale scene is based off of that moment in the office between michael and holly lol, i just thought it was so cute. also i am just so excited for christmas even though its months away so im sorry in advance. let me know what yall think!

wc: 3.1k

-

The LaMontagne-Jareau household was having their annual yard sale and as they do every year, they invited the team to sell anything they didn’t want anymore. You and Spencer had just moved in together a few weeks ago after dating for a year and you definitely had some things that you could get rid of, so you jumped at the opportunity to clean house. As you were packing some of your knick knacks into boxes, you noticed your boyfriend sitting in front of your shared bookshelf, closely examining its contents and placing the books into two piles. His brow furrowed when he placed another book into the smaller of the two stacks. You set down the lamp you were holding and walked over to a frustrated Spencer.

“You know Spence, you really don’t have to get rid of any of your books. I promise, I don’t need the shelf space,” you chuckled before examining the piles.

“I know, I just feel bad that you can't put any of your books up there. Besides, I’ve read everything anyway,” he said with a frustrated sigh. You patted him on the back before sorting through his “sell” pile. Picking up one of the hardcover books, you noticed it was one of your favorites. 

“‘The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe’? You were getting rid of this?” you asked in slight shock.

“Oops, wrong pile,” he remarked, softly taking the book from your hands. “You remember the first time we read this together?” he asked, flipping his fingers through the pages. 

“Um, of course. Last year, before we were an item,” you recalled. “I was at your apartment and we ordered a pizza and opened a bottle of wine, which you proceeded to spill all over me,” you laughed, Spencer blushing profusely at the memory.

“And you were wearing white…” he trailed off.

“And I was wearing white. I know you have an eidetic memory but this must be the dirty side of it because I know full well you saw my bra through that shirt,” you nudged him teasingly.

“Hey, why do you think I asked you out in the first place?” he jokingly asked. You nudged him again and laughed. 

“So I changed into your ‘I Heart Vegas’ t-shirt and your FBI sweats and made you read to me as an apology,” you smiled, recalling the memory that you held near and dear. 

“And you’ve never looked better,” he laughed, pecking your lips. 

You set the books down and left him to his sorting, returning to your own work. Once the two of you were ready to go, you hauled the few boxes into your car and made the drive to JJ’s.

-

“My favorite lovebirds are here!” Penelope shouted, standing up from her seat on the lawn next to Morgan and making her way over to you and Spence. You gave her a quick hug.

“Hey Pen! I’m surprised to see you here, I know you’re pretty sentimental when it comes to your things,” you asked as she began to help you carry your things onto the lawn.

“Yeah, I’ve had firsthand experience with that when I accidentally knocked over her llama mug. The thing shattered and she refused to call me ‘chocolate thunder’ for days” Derek chimed in, standing to help you with the boxes.

“Okay, in my defense, I like to keep my sacred things sacred. I didn’t want my poor llama to face such violence!” she yelled, and you all laughed. “But you’re right, I’m just here to count the money,” she confessed, and you nodded. 

You all chatted about your days as you unpacked your boxes, the rest of the team showing up in the meantime. As you unpacked, you came across your old neon sign that said “boss bitch,” and you couldn’t help but laugh, drawing the attention of your friends. 

“Damn Y/N, I never pegged you as someone who’d have a sign like that,” Emily said, walking over to get a closer look.

“How come I’ve never seen that?” Spencer asked, observing the cheesy light.

“Gosh, i’ve had that since college. I found it in the back of my closet today and I don’t really have much of a use for it. I do love it though,” you remarked. Emily left you and Spencer alone after being distracted by Henry.

“You know, if you really like it, you can keep it. If there's a problem with the neon, I can take a look at it,” Spencer said, taking the sign from you.

“Oh no, it's not that. I guess it's just more meant for a ‘bachelorette’ pad,” you said.

“Oh okay. You can save it if you want, just in case,” he said softly. This got your attention as you looked up to him.

“In case? I don’t have an ‘in case’. Do you have an in case?” you asked, wondering if your boyfriend had any doubts about your move in.

“No, I don’t,” he said, as if he was just realizing how real the two of you were. He leaned down and your lips met his. You pulled away from him and continued setting up your table, a smile on your face the entire time.

-

A couple months had passed since the yard sale and you were absolutely loving the little life you had with Spencer. And as the weather got colder, it was nice to have someone to snuggle next to during the winter. Christmas was coming up and you couldn’t wait for Christmas Eve at the Rossi household. Dave had decided that this year, he would start a tradition for the team, a “night of the seven fishes,” and of course his famous Rossi pasta. Everyone was able to go- this was why you loved this team. You were all “misfits,” especially with your home life- these people had become your family and you theirs, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

You went Christmas shopping every day leading up to the fateful Rossi dinner. One of those days, Spencer came with you and the two of you had finished up pretty late- it was already dark out. Spencer offered to drive home, which was a little out of character, but you were too tired from your day that you didn’t question it. You noticed he was taking a different route then normal, however, so you decided to interject.

“My love, you’re going like the complete opposite direction of home,” you giggled.

“I know, I just thought we’d take a detour to look at the lights,” he said nervously. You just shrugged and went with it.

 You turned up the radio when you heard your favorite Christmas song start to play. Spencer began to sing along quietly, and you looked at him surprised- he never sang in front of you. He glanced at you and laughed, before continuing his serenade. You decided to join in, belting out the lyrics to Maria Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You,” turning to Spencer and singing to him on the “you” parts, earning a chuckle. 

After you had been driving for a bit, he stopped the car and stepped out. You didn’t recognize your surroundings, but it looked like you were in a park. It was decorated beautifully with countless Christmas lights and ornaments hanging from trees. It truly took your breath away. Before you knew it, Spencer was opening your door and offering his hand. You took it and stepped out, still in awe of your surroundings. While you were looking around, Spencer reached inside the car and cranked the radio up, just as Frank Sinatra’s “White Christmas” began to play. He walked in front of you and bowed his head, extending his hand. 

“May I have this dance?” he asked, feigning chivalry. You couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of the man in front of you, bundled in a jacket and a scarf, nose slightly red from the cold air.

“Of course, good sir,” you said with a terrible curtsy. Taking his hand, the two of you began to slow dance in the middle of the empty parking lot, snowflakes slowly falling down. 

“You’re amazing,” you told him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“You missed,” he said, before leaning back down and giving you a firm kiss on the lips. You laughed into the kiss, wondering how you scored such an incredible boyfriend. You switched positions to get closer to him, your arms wrapped around his neck and his arms around your waist. You rested your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. The two of you continued to sway as the song changed to “Last Christmas” by Wham! You looked up at him again, missing his face. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I love this and I love you for this, but why are we doing this?” you asked, not wanting to ruin the moment. 

“I don’t know, actually. I had the thought when we were at the mall, that I just wanted to make this your best Christmas yet. And I know you love those cheesy Hallmark movies, so I figured this was the closest way to bring one of them to life for you,” he laughed and your heart melted. 

“Well, my previous statement still stands. You are amazing, Spencer Reid,” you told him, leaning in for another kiss. The two of you swayed for a few songs longer until you both decided that not even you could keep each other warm. The drive back to your shared apartment was pleasant as you closed your eyes, letting the Christmas music and the warm feeling of Spencer's hand on your thigh lull you to sleep.

-

“Babe can you zip me up?” you asked, putting in your earrings. Spencer adjusted his tie to his satisfaction and made his way over to you in front of the full body mirror to help you with your dress.

It was Christmas Eve and the two of you were getting dressed for the big night at the Rossi house. Spencer seemed a bit more nervous than usual, but you just chalked it up to his occasional social anxiety. Once he finished zipping you up he wrapped his arms around your midsection, kissing you on the cheek. The two of you stood, looking at your reflections, for a few moments. Spencer looked as handsome as ever in his nice sweater, and you were a show stopper in your dark red velvet mini dress. It was moments like these when you stopped to think about how lucky you are to have met him- he was your future and you were his. If only he would put a ring on it.

You pulled yourself from your loving daze and finished getting ready- Spencer was already finished so he was attached at your hip as you pulled on your heels and made some finishing touches to your makeup. 

“Ready to go?” he asked, seemingly antsy to get on the road. You giggled at his eagerness and nodded, grabbing your purse and heading out to the car.

On the drive there, you once again cranked up the Christmas music and serenaded him to All I Want For Christmas is You, which was quite a frequent play on the radio. You didn’t mind, however, because it was always a way to get him to blush. Mariah Carey had that effect on people. Before you knew it, you pulled up to the Rossi mansion. Most of the team must have been there already, as it was bustling with life and Christmas joy. The front of the house was completely decked out with lights and decorations- Dave spared no expense when it came to holiday decorating. The two of you made your way up to the door, presents in hand. Garcia was on the other end of the door, apparently a few eggnogs in.

“Oh my gosh, you guys are adorable!” she shouted. You and Spencer shared a knowing look. “Everyone, the lovebirds are here! And looking like the hottest couple since Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively,” she gasped, taking in your dress and feeling the velvet. The confused look on Spencer’s face told you all you needed to know about his knowledge of pop culture, which was none. 

Garcia ushered the two of you inside to the living room area, where the rest of the team was settled. Everyone stood up for hugs and assisted you with carrying all of your presents to the tree, which was one of the biggest Christmas trees you had ever seen. You greeted Jack and Henry, who were playing with some toy cars under the tree. You made you way back to the team, and you noticed Spencer talking quietly to Derek and JJ- you decided to let them be and you made your way to the kitchen island to talk to Rossi as he cooked.

“Wow, everything looks so great!” you commented, observing the wide array of food along the table. 

“It better, I’ve been busting my ass for hours just so you kids could have a nice meal,” Rossi said, stirring one of the pots on the stove. You laughed at his fatherly comments as Emiy took the seat next to you.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just worried he might be on the naughty list,” Prentiss joked, finishing off her glass of wine and grabbing another bottle. 

“Hey, just because I’ve gotten a few divorces doesn’t mean i'm not a good man,” he said, pointing a jokingly accusatory finger towards Prentiss. She lifted her hands in defense and laughed. 

“I hear that,” said Derek, who had suddenly appeared in the kitchen. Spencer made his way to the chair on your other side, taking a seat. He nervously fidgeted for a bit, but when you rested a comforting hand on his thigh, his nerves seemed to calm. Soon after you poured yourself a glass of wine, Rossi announced that dinner was served. With a cheer, everyone made their way to the long table, Rossi and Hotch on both ends. You sat between Spencer and Emily, waiting to serve yourself. Once everyone was settled, Rossi stood holding his glass of wine.

“I would like to take a moment to thank you all for coming tonight. There are friends, and there is family. And, there are friends that become family. You are all my family, and I wouldn't want to spend my night of the seven fishes with anyone else. Dig in,” he toasted, and was greeted with a few “salut’s” and pats on the back. With that, you all began to serve yourselves and fill your plates and wine glasses. 

-

Once everyone was full from the delicious dinner spread, you all retired to the living room. Christmas music was playing through Rossi’s amazing sound system, and you were resting your sleepy head on Spencer's shoulder, his arm around you. It had been a perfect night, and you didn’t want it to end. As you were listening to JJ tell a story about Henry’s first Christmas, the song changed to “White Christmas” by Frank Sinatra, and you were flooded with the memory of you and Spencer dancing in the parking lot. You lifted your head from his chest and looked to see he was thinking the same thing.

“It’s our song,” you whispered with a sleepy smile. Spencer nodded and gave you a quick kiss before looking at Derek, who was mouthing “do it now!” As if it were perfect timing, JJ just finished her story and Spencer stood up, gathering the attention from the room. 

“Uh, if I could have everyone's attention, please,” he started, nervously clearing his throat. You looked up at him with stars in your eyes, and he returned it. “As many of you know, Y/N and I have been dating for awhile now, and we’ve been living together for a few months,” he began. You looked around the room and made eye contact with Derek, who shot you a wink. You returned focus to your nervous boyfriend, encouraging him with your eyes. 

“Living with her has made me realize that I don’t need an ‘in case.’ I normally always have a backup plan for when things go wrong, well, as an FBI agent that comes in handy,” he chuckled nervously. “But with Y/N, I never thought to make a backup plan. I’ve just known that she is my forever,” he turned to you. “Y/N, you are my forever, and I want to make it official- I want the world to know that you mean everything to me,” he shakily got onto one knee, earning a gasp from Garcia and a few tears from JJ. From his sweater pocket, he pulled out a tiny velvet box and opened it. You stood up, hands covering your mouth and tears welling in your eyes.

“Y/N, will you marry me?” he asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes. You were in shock. You almost forgot to answer until you heard a cough from Prentiss. 

“Yes, Spence! Yes yes of course!” you shouted, putting the ring on and he stood up as you jumped into his arms, wrapping your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist. You barely registered, the whooping cheers from the rest of the team, as everyone embraced each other. Tears were shed by most of them (Hotch tried his best to hold back). 

After a minute of spinning, Spencer let you down and you observed the ring. It was one of the most beautiful things you had ever seen. 

“I helped pick it out,” JJ told you and you pulled her into a hug and thanked her before embracing Spencer once again, a happy blush across his cheeks.

“Hey, look!” Garcia said, pointing above you and Spencer's heads. Looking up, you saw the mistletoe she was pointing at. 

“Did you know that the white berries on mistletoe are actually toxic to humans?” Spencer asked, receiving a few head shakes. You looked up at him in awe, always adoring his facts.

“Come here,” you said, pulling him down by his tie and giving him a passionate (but tasteful) kiss that was greeted with a chorus of “aww’s” and a few “ewwww’s” from Jack and Henry. You both laughed and continued to mingle with the team, showing off your rock. Spencer had made it a Christmas to remember, and you were so eternally grateful to have someone who loved you as much as you loved him.

[maldito-arbol]

Let’s talk about the GP zodiacs (Part 2)

HOLSY HSIT I LOVE THE GP KIDS SO MUCH AND THEIR SIGNS ARE SO INTERESTING

Thank u to puff-poff for shooting me with an ask about the gp kids, I think our brains just assimilated

One more note: I should’ve mentioned this in my last post but compatibility between signs doesn’t only apply to romantic relationships, it applies to any kind of relationship like friendships, family relations, etc. It’s just that when it comes to more platonic relationships, wholly incompatible signs are more likely to be able to work something out together. As an example, I’m a Gemini, and I’m about 300% certain I could never ever in my life date a Pisces, but I do have a few Pisces friends that I get along well enough with.

Okay same drill—sign, element, infodump, GO

Violet

Birthdate: June 12th

Sign: Gemini

Element: Air

Overview: SQUEALS GUYS ITS VIOLET MY BELOVED. WE’RE BOTH GEMINIS THEREFORE WE ARE THE SAME PERSON. I’m kidding but no, Violet being a Gemini makes her 100x easier to project onto. So I mentioned before that Air signs are the least in tune with their emotions, are the thinkers before they act, are horribly indecisive, and these very much apply to Geminis as well. However, the most iconic trait of a Gemini is the ability to switch personalities at the drop of a hat whenever it services the group of people they’re in—what most people call the ‘two-faced’ part of Geminis. Hey, I promise you that being two-faced is actually a pretty cool and useful asset when in the hands of a decent human being. It means we get along well with a lot of different people, and if we don’t, we can act like we do as if it’s nothing. This asset, however, can turn into a curse of sorts in that a lot of us have...NO IDEA what our actual personality is. We reshape and remold ourselves and copy traits from other signs to fit in so much that we lose sight of who we are as an individual, and therefore we have a very hard time figuring out what we truly want. This is where the indecisiveness comes into play—ask a Gemini what they want for lunch and you’ll get a “what? Huh? Oh, you pick. I’m fine with whatever.” I know Geminis best because I am one, pls forgive me for rambling so much more about them than the other signssss.

Okay so first of all, let’s talk about Violet adapting to other characters to ‘fit in’. It’s not as obvious because Violet DOES seem to have one very fixed personality, but Violet prefers to speak through actions rather than words, so I would call her following Emma to help the children at GP a Gemini move. She could’ve simply dragged her to Lucas—she’s probably strong enough to do so, but instead she decided to go along with her. This isn’t to say there’s no pushback of course, as Air signs Geminis aren’t idiots, so they’ll often try to reason with others (particularly fire signs cough cough) to try to bring logic and critical thinking into the conversation. However, when that fails, they can still be counted on to support their friends even if they disagree. This is why Geminis and Leos are soulmates you heard it here, the stars said Violemma is the way. BUT ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW VIOLET’S THE ONE ADAM LISTENS TO DURING THE LEUVIS BATTLE. YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT BEING ABLE TO GET ALONG WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE, THERE YOU GO.

Anyway it’s also very much worth noting that while Violet can seem very harsh at times (bc Geminis will put you in your PLACE), bringing her logical kind of advice into conversations can be a very helpful comforter.

On another note this scene is so gay?

Compatibility and ships: hellooooooo Air sign Violet you are compatible with other Air signs (Aquarius, Libra, and Gemini) as well as Fire signs (Leo, Sagittarius, and Aries). Usually you’ll see Aquarius and Sagittarius as the most compatible with Geminis but I disagree with that because I have never met a Sagittarius I like so I’m still pointing fervently at Leos and the fact that Emma is a Leo. Listen. Violemma is the way. I am determined to convert all of you to Violemma if it’s the last thing I do. Geminis simply cannot help themselves around Leos they fall like a fucking anvil for that bright, golden-hearted dumbass energy. If there’s any Leos in the tpn fandom let me know I might just propose to you.

Oliver

Birthdate: October 25th

Sign: Scorpio

Element: Water

Overview: the first time I looked up Oliver’s birthday I went “Scorpio???? REALLY????” but then this is another case where the more I think about it, it does indeed make sense. If Leos are the natural leaders of the Fire signs, then Scorpios are the natural leaders of the Water signs. Where Cancers and Pisces will often lose themselves to their emotions, Scorpios have a very strong handle on them. I mentioned before that Water signs are at the highest emotional level, but Scorpios are a bit of an interesting case because you oftentimes won’t even notice that they’re very emotional people. They try to act like Air signs in that way, but their true colors are always there, waiting to be coaxed out.

For Oliver, you can clearly tell that his emotional bond with his friends and especially with Lucas is very high—but even so, he doesn’t let his emotions cloud his judgment or his ability to adapt to the situation at hand. Where earth signs are very fixed and difficult to move, water signs are always moving and changing to find solutions best suited for new circumstances. The best example I can give is the part where the music plays early, and despite internally panicking about it, Oliver is the one who naturally steps up to calm everyone down.

Scorpios are great at handling others’ emotions as well as their own, which makes them marvelously empathetic leaders. We stan.

Compatibility and ships: as a Water sign, Oliver is compatible with other Water signs (Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio) as well as Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn) so speaking broadly that makes him compatible with Pepe (a Pisces) and Zack (a Cancer) but narrowing it down, Scorpios are usually best with Tauruses and Cancers. Idk if I’m the only one who ships Oliver with Pepe but I know there’s a few people who ship him with Zack—so congrats to you guys, you won the stars’ approval.

Lucas

Birthdate: November 28th

Sign: Sagittarius

Element: Fire

Overview: yall,,,, when I found out Lucas was a Saggy Titty I legitimately guffawed out loud. Lucas and Sagittarius is so funny.... because it’s so wrong. Saggy Titties are the definition of chaos, they’re brazen, impulsive, and constantly changing. Like think of a frat boy in a house full of beer and pool tables and hot girls and you get Sagittarius. This is why I have never met a Sagittarius I like—because they have frat boy energy, and even non-male Sagittariuses require wayyy too much energy for me to handle. I guess the only time Lucas really does act like a Sagittarius is in his childhood with Yuugo, and the way he’s a lot bolder and outgoing versus the quieter older Lucas we have now.

It is important to note that Lucas has been through a lot of trauma and lost a lot of comrades which could very well change the a person’s entire outlook and turn their personality 180 degrees—that could be a large factor, although on the flip side, Yuugo still fits his Capricorn sign even after going through what he’s been through. Different events affect different people differently. Lucas was most likely knocked entirely off his Sagittarius high-horse very quickly when he arrived in Goldy Pond. But if I had no prior knowledge of who he was beforehand, I very well might’ve pegged him a Leo like Emma or even another subtle Aries like Norman. So yes, he does indeed have fire energy, it’s just generally very lackluster and farrrr away from Sagittarius’ level.

Compatibility and ships: okay so I know the only Lucas ship with any weight to it in this fandom is Yuucas, and here’s the thing,,, A Sagittarius and Capricorn combo is the most horrifying fucking couple imaginable and I’m stan so hard. Realistically speaking, your Capricorns would try to put a leash on their Sagittariuses because man. I forgot to mention how childish Sagittariuses can be (though the frat boy comparison should’ve been a clue), and holy shit that poor Capricorn is gonna get ripped to shreds by their Sagittarius. Imagine like a super pompous cowboy trying to ride a furious bull that’s trying to buck him off like there’s no tomorrow. Capricorns are people who want complete control over themselves and their partners, while Sagittariuses,, Saggy Titties just want to see the world burn. Put them together and you could probably cause the End Times Apocalypse. But you know what? Good for them. I think Yuugo and Lucas love each other enough that the toxicity that comes with typical pairups with these two signs is about nonexistent between them. But I fully believe they could still destroy an entire planet and that’s valid of them to do so. Anyway moving on!

you wanna talk about another Sagittarius that makes absolutely no sense?

Paula

Birthdate: December 9th

Sign: Sagittarius

Element: Fire

Overview: My authors I am begging you, stop putting character birthdays in the Sagittarius zone you clearly don’t know what a Sagittarius is.

Since I refuse to acknowledge Paula as a Sagittarius, let’s talk about what sign she actually acts like because I said so. Paula’s a Virgo. Fight me Shirai. (Also im sus that shirai is virgophobic because where the fuck are my virgos. There’s like zero major characters that are virgos, and the characters that ARE don’t even act like virgos. I’m coming for your small intestine Shirai) so as earth signs, virgos are generally pretty resourceful and of course level-headed. They’re kinda shy and reserved, but they’re also very hard workers you can count on when you need to get a job done. Nary will you find a Virgo that procrastinates or attempts to weasel their way out of a mission they’ve been given. The unmovable earth in virgos shows through in how committed they are, and we can see all these traits in Paula. Though she’s a quieter member of the GP resistance, you can tell just how much of an asset she is to them. She doesn’t run, doesn’t lose her cool, and she’s good at pointing out important details.

Pls let me decide your characters’ birthdays for you Shirai I promise I am good at it.

Compatibility and ships: I guess, astrologically speaking, as a Sagittarius, Paula does fit pretty well with Sonya because she’s a Gemini. I actually know next to nothing about Paula ships but I do know she’s lesbian and her and Sonya are cute but I also ship her with Barbara because reasons don’t ask questions I WILL bite you anyway they’re compatible too because barb’s also a Gemini.

Lot of Geminis, don’t you think? Yes I do. Let’s talk about them.

Sonya and Sandy

Birthdates: June 3rd and May 22nd respectively

Signs: Gemini

Element: Air

Overview: these two are what I call the gemini twins bECAUSE THEYRE ALWAYS HANGING OUT AND ITS SO TRUE GEMINIS LOVE EACH OTHER BUT ALSO ITS SO WEIRD THAT WE GET ALONG. imagine like two of those one way mirrors facing each other where it just goes on and on and on for infinite mirror and that’s what two Geminis hanging out is like. Look, they’re literally thinking the same thing and it’s so great

Anyway there isn’t a whole lot of Sandy and Sonya content to go off of in the first place, but them being Geminis seems reasonable to me—at the very least they are indeed meant to get along well and they’re so in sync I could cry. Plus they’re pretty intuitive and able to think right on the spot as they’re facing Nous and Nouma (at least at first) My man Shirai also.. really likes Geminis for some reason because they keep popping up. So instead of one Spider-Man meme it looks more like this,

Compatibility and ships: not gonna dwell too long on this section because from previous ones you may already recall they’re compatible with each other and I guess with Paula as well as I must begrudgingly accept the fact that shes canonically a Sagittarius.

Pepe

Birthdate: February 19th

Sign: Pisces

Element: Water

Overview: so I mentioned before that water signs are at about the highest emotion level, which makes Pisces a very sensitive group like Cancers. But Pisces in general are known for being the kindest and most accepting people as well, which means they’re able to make a lot of friends very easily. They’re basically that one person you sat next to in class who started a conversation with you just to be nice. Now again, there’s not a whole lot of Pepe content to go off of, but we can tell he’s kind and loving to his friends and the other kids in GP. One thing I can mention is that Pisces usually are the one of the nosiest of the signs, and they get very bothered by lies and secrets (this is true for a lot of water signs, but Pisces are the worst in my experience) so we got this single piece that may have a little bit of the Pisces in Pepe showing:

Compatibility and ships: So as a Pisces, Pepe is only compatible with Oliver and Zack considering they’re also water signs. Everyone else is Fire and Air, funnily enough, but the Pepe ships with those two are super cute I think so it’s ok.

Zack

Birthdate: July 7th

Sign: Cancer

Element: Water

Overview: so do I think Zack fits his sign? Yes, in a way I do. I already went into Cancers when I explained Don, so quick recap: Cancers are some of the most sensitive and empathetic, so their loyalty to their loved ones is pretty close to on-par with an Aries. And while Zack isn’t as outwardly emotional as someone like Don, the Cancer in him shows up well in that he’s constantly taking extremely difficult missions he doesn’t want his friends to risk, and he shrugs off any injury to himself.

This might just be a me thing but almost every Cancer I’ve met has a habit of doing That. I am so concerned for their safety. I guess though, if I hadn’t known his sign beforehand, I 100% would’ve pegged him an Aries.

Compatibility and ships: I already went over this with Pepe, but Zack is compatible with Pepe and Oliver. Y’all ok listen to me. OT3. Make it happen. Between them they have every sign in the element of water. They’d be unstoppable.

Gillian

Birthdate: September 30th

Sign: Libra

Element: Air

Overview: here’s a fun one. So as I previously stated, air signs are usually out of tune with their emotions, but where that causes Aquariuses and Geminis to repress or hide them, Libras,,,, just dump them everywhere. Listen I know Libras are supposed to be the sign of the balance scales and they have a thing about the world being perfectly balanced which makes them more prone to revenge bUT ALSO. MY first and foremost takeaway from Libras is that they all suffer from Rich Bitch syndrome, in which they obsess over material items and every Libra has a thing about cute girly stuff change my mind. HOWEVER, they’re often very chaotic as well, the kinda Sagittarius of the Air signs. So like a super cute and seemingly fun girl who will probably murder you in your sleep.



I’m sorry I can’t take it I’ve been laughing at this for the past fifteen minutes it’s too funny. Anyway, Gillian’s Rich Bitch Syndrome appears through her fashion statement. Her PINS. omg. Gillian your Libra is showing.

Compatibility and ships: as a Libra Gillian is compatible with other Air signs (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) as well as Fire signs (Aries, Sagittarius, Leo) but she’s most compatible with Aries and Sagittarius so—— Paula yes, but also Nigel because he’s an Aries! Speaking of Nigel,

Nigel

Birthdate: March 27th

Sign: Aries

Element: Fire

Overview: Aries Nigel doesn’t come as a surprise, let’s be real here. I delved into Aries before with Norman, so just as a recap: Aries are so intensely loyal to the ones they love and would do absolutely anything for them even at the cost of their lives, and this can make them prone to outbursts of anger and/or impulsivity. Here’s your one image of Aries Nigel, I don’t even have to explain:

Compatibility and ships: so I already said this but Nigel is at his most compatible with Gillian. Are there other Nigel ships?? Pls let me know I’m very curious.

Aw, it’s over now :(

I loved talking about the GP kids they fill the void in my heart. Now to move onto talking about the demons because the silliest idiot requested it and I am beyond ecstatic to spout pure headcanon bullshit. If you’re feelin excited then feel free to keep sending characters my way I will be happy to ramble about their canon zodiac or my headcanon for their zodiac

Edit: i forgot to link part 1 to anyone who wants it and doesn’t want to stalk my profile to find it

[natromanxoff]

How prog were Queen?

By Dave Everley

On 9 January, 1971, Kevin Ayers and Genesis played a show together at the Ewell Technical College near Epsom in Surrey. Ayers was 18 months out of Soft Machine, and making a name for himself as a psychedelically-inclined art-folk rake. Genesis had released their second album, Trespass, a few months earlier, and were carving out a place in the vanguard of the burgeoning progressive rock movement.

There was a third band propping up the bill that night, a bunch of transplanted Londoners calling themselves Queen. In contrast to the wilfully artful approach of the headliners, their music was more straightforward: a heavy, if ornate blend of Led Zeppelin’s earthiness and the flights of fancy of Yes.

Not everyone in the small crowd watching them was impressed, but they caught the attention of one person. After the show, Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel pulled Queen’s blond-bombshell drummer Roger Taylor to one side. Gabriel’s band were about to dismiss their own drummer, John Mayhew, and were looking for a replacement. Was Taylor interested in joining Genesis? The reply was instant: thanks but no thanks. Taylor was utterly dedicated to Queen – there were gigs to play, places to go, and many musical adventures to embark on.

Had Taylor accepted the offer, the course of music – and specifically prog – would have been very different. Genesis would have flourished with Gabriel upfront, though whether they would have survived and prospered as they did without a Phil Collins to step into the breach after their talismanic singer’s departure was another matter.

The knock-on effect on Queen would have been greater. Taylor was an essential part of their carefully balanced four-way chemistry; a chemistry that would go on to throw up some of the most ambitious and game-changing music ever recorded. While Queen weren’t a capital ‘P’ prog band, they were infused with the spirit of the movement, combining its forward-looking values with its absolute disregard for the existing rules. Taking their cues from the likes of Yes, Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator and even Pink Floyd, their flamboyantly cavalier approach would go on to inspire such modern masters as Dream Theater, Queensrÿche and Muse. And, in Bohemian Rhapsody, they ensured that one of the biggest-selling singles in history was, at heart, a prog song. Forget the luxuriant moustaches and sawn-off mike-stands that would come to define them: if the prog ethos meant avoiding the expected, then Queen were definitely a prog band.

“Diversity was probably their greatest asset,” says former Dream Theater drummer and confirmed Queen devotee Mike Portnoy. “From song to song, they could be so different. You could have something that was folk followed by something that was rockabilly followed by something that was metal. And that’s one of the biggest things about prog, having that open-mindedness.”

Queen’s schooling in prog came early on. Brian May’s very first band, 1984, played a 4am slot supporting Pink Floyd at the Christmas On Earth Continued all-nighter in 1967. A year later, his next outfit, Smile – also featuring Roger Taylor – played with Floyd again, this time at London’s Imperial College. By the time of their gig opening for Kevin Ayers, Smile had changed their name to Queen and recruited Freddie Mercury. Collectively, they admired Yes, Van der Graaf Generator and especially Genesis. “Foxtrot is a prog rock classic,” Roger Taylor later wrote in the sleevenotes to Genesis box set 1970-1975. “Arrangements were highly complex in these early days, setting a benchmark for the style of the times.”

When it came to finding someone to produce their debut album, Queen’s first choice was John Anthony, who had worked with both Genesis and Van der Graaf. With Anthony and co-producer Roy Thomas Baker behind the desk, the eponymous album trod heavily in Led Zeppelin’s footsteps. But there was another, altogether more visionary band straining to spread their wings: My Fairy King was a filigreed slice of flamboyant rock’n’roll, while Liar metamorphosised through several different time changes and timings.

Those wings were fully unfurled on the follow-up, 1974’s Queen II. The title was the most prosaic thing about the record: the music inside was as fevered and baroque as rock gets, informed equally by Zeppelin, Yes and crazed Victorian artist Richard Dadd, whose 1864 painting The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke inspired one of the album’s most prog-leaning tracks. It may have been rooted in the heavy rock of the times, but its cavalier approach and sheer sense of scale pegged Queen as a defiantly progressive proposition.

“Queen weren’t like Yes, who had a dualistic role of guitar and keyboards, where both shared the terrain,” says Yes guitarist Steve Howe, supported by Queen at Kingston Poly in early 1971. “Brian had the terrain to himself. The remarkable thing was that he was the front and the back man. It required him to come up with more than guitar solos… He had to come up with a semi-thematic approach to play the guitar. And what he did was keep colouring.”

Queen’s prog inclinations would be deeply woven into the fabric of their early albums, from the audacious multi-part theatrics of Queen II’s March Of The Black Queen to the schizophrenic attack of the two-part Lap Of The Gods from 1974’s Sheer Heart Attack. Even in their more commercial moments, they marched to the beat of their own drum. What other band would have dared serve up something so unusual as Killer Queen?

“It was their diversity,” says Mike Portnoy, who first heard Queen as an eight-year-old in the mid-70s and covered many Queen songs while in Dream Theater. “Their albums took the prototype that The Beatles laid down with the White Album, where you had four different artists bringing in very different styles. Every song was so diverse. You get to A Night At The Opera, and you had this giant multi-layered epic like Bohemian Rhapsody next to something like Seaside Rendezvous or Love Of My Life.”

A Night At The Opera was Queen’s grand artistic statement and their most unashamedly prog album. Pitched around the epic twin tentpoles of The Prophet’s Song and Bohemian Rhapsody, it married their far-reaching vision to a distinctly British barminess. Taken on its own, the eight-minute The Prophets Song, with its incredible ornate a cappella middle section, would be enough to grant Queen access to the Prog Hall Of Fame. But even that sits in the inescapable shadow of Bohemian Rhapsody. Time and success might have lessened its impact, but that song remains the most dazzlingly unique piece of music ever to sell five million copies.

“There are epic things that come along every so often,” says Steve Howe. “There’s Sgt Pepper, there’s Bridge Over Troubled Water. And there’s Bohemian Rhapsody. I don’t know when I first heard it, but once it was there, it was such a formidable thing. You’re thinking: ‘How many tracks did they need to do those vocals? How did they write it? Who invented it? It really was astounding.”

Bohemian Rhapsody encapsulated one of the key things that gave Queen such a distinct identity. Like The Beatles and Beach Boys before them, they used the studio as an instrument – not least when it came to their vocals. And Bohemian Rhapsody raised the bar about as high as it could go.

“They sang each of those parts and triple-stacked them,” says Mike Portnoy. “You heard all three of their voices singing in all three vocal ranges. That’s what made the depth of their music so complex. It wasn’t the instrumentation, it was the vocals. That’s unusual for prog music. When I think of my favourite prog music, it’s always the musicianship that draws me. But with Queen, it was the vocals. It was so deep.”

For all its success, A Night At The Opera would be Queen’s grand kiss-off to their prog roots. Later albums streamlined their sound into a more conventional format. Much like Genesis, the 80s found them swapping experimentalism for chart rock.

It wasn’t until the end of their career as an active band that Queen would again sound so adventurous. During 1989 and 1990, the band began work on their penultimate album, Innuendo, in London and Montreux. In the summer of 1990, Yes guitarist Steve Howe paid a flying visit to the Swiss city, where a chance encounter with a former guitar tech found him being invited to Queen’s studio to hear the album as a work-in-progress.

“Inside, there’s Freddie, Brian and Roger all sitting together. They go: ‘Let’s play you the album,’” says Howe. “Of course, I’m hearing it for the first time: I Can’t Live Without You, I’m Going Slightly Mad. And they saved Innuendo itself until last. They played it and I was fucking blown away.”

If that was surprising, then what happened next was utterly out-of-the-blue. The members of Queen asked if Howe wanted to play on the title track. The Yes man politely suggested they’d lost their minds. It took the combined weight of Mercury, May and Taylor to persuade him.

“They all chimed in: ‘We want some crazy Spanish guitar flying around over the top. Improvise!’” recalls Howe. “I started noodling around on the guitar, and it was pretty tough. After a couple of hours, I thought: ‘I’ve bitten off more than I can chew here.’ I had to learn a bit of the structure, work out the chordal roots were, where you had to fall if you did a mad run in the distance; you have to know where you’re going. But it got towards evening, and we’d doodled and I’d noodled, and it turned out to be really good fun. We have this beautiful dinner, we go back to the studio and have a listen. And they go: ‘That’s great. That’s what we wanted.”

Released as a single in January 1991, Innuendo gave Queen their third Number One single. Like Bohemian Rhapsody 25 years before it, it was as unlikely as hit singles get: a six-and-a-half minute musical jigsaw, complete with flamenco runs, classically-inclined orchestral overloads and maverick 5/4 timing. Queensrÿche covered the song on 2007’s Take Cover album, while you can hear its echo in Radiohead’s Paranoid Android and Muse’s more elaborate sci-fi epics.

“In the world of rock, Queen stands out as a good example of the clash between guitar and piano in songwriting,” Muse’s Matt Bellamy has said. “I think that’s where you stumble across those more unusual arrangements and chord structures.”

Today, Queen have left a bi-polar legacy. They’re arguably best known for their pop hits – Radio Gaga, I Want To Break Free and of course, Bohemian Rhapsody, that ultimate prog Trojan Horse. But their spirit of adventure remains unmatched by all but the boldest of their peers.

“There was no rulebook for Queen,” says Mike Portnoy. “They broke most of the rules that existed, and then they wrote a new set.”

[nothisis-ridiculous]

Take Me Home Now

Chapter Two: The Violence Causes Silence

Set after the events of ME3.

A rewrite. Ao3.

FemShepxKaidan

"I never thought I'd see the mighty M-77 in the flesh, let alone hold one," the graveled voice silique over Mary's bedside, pointing the weapon harmlessly at the wall miming the clicking of the trigger with a soft pew. The corner of his wrinkled smile pulled tightly, white teeth freed in a short chortle.

"The damned thing almost killed me too!" The tenor of his voice booming across the room drawing momentary attention to himself.

Amber eyes returned to the woman that breathed gently beneath the single sheet covering her, "if only the shot were better. It's a shame to see a beautiful weapon mishandled."

The Commander's eyes shot open, "it's not a toy."

"A toy it is not," he countered softly in direct contrast to her gruffness, "it's a very serious weapon. Hard to get a hold of unless you have the right channels."

"Or the wrong ones."

"You've got me there," he murmured gently, "but I don't have you pegged for that type."

"What do you know about me?" The statement a test.

"Next to nothing, besides your bad aim."

The relaxed manner of his statement regulated the growl in her throat into a gentle rumble. The man at her bedside was a strange sort of familiar but annoyingly endearing. Probably the sole reason he wasn't knocked aside and that she was not halfway out the door. Well, if not for the half dozen other figures and said man possessing her weapon.  It would have been easier to continue her ruse, eyes fluttering closed at the thought.

The figure chuckled, "your acting is as terrible as your aim. If you think that can fool me."

He gave her the time to shuffle upright, allowing her the space needed to feel out her scalp. Fingertips gently touching the tender ring left inches about her right ear, pale lips turning into a nearly imperceptible frown. He resisted the urge to clap on comforting hand on her shoulder and to pull her in. While he would never ask a woman's age, he guessed her to be in the same group as his son. The same burden rested in her eyes as had his son's: one among many he mourned for. Among the many, each around him mourned for. The war well over, but not without a hearty cost. This strange camaraderie drew him to this stranger.

"Military brat?" The guess was easy enough; she held herself uptightly. Besides, only a trained soldier could walk out of that hideout with barely a scar.

"No, but enlisted at eighteen. Parents were colonists, the Alliance-"

The awkwardly heavy tube vibrated in her weak arms, adrenaline crashing as the reality of her situation caught up with the teenager. She was fucked. Not fun fucked, but her life was about to end fucked. It hadn't even moved the Batarian she had struck with all of her might. The ill-placed blow barely skittered against his pauldrons.

The alien turned slowly, a sick smirk crossing his strangely wrinkled skin.

The creature yanked the metal tube from her grasp, Mary by some miracle, was fast enough to avoid the arc of his wild swing. Her mother and father went down with a thud. Mary somehow undaunted rushed forward without thought; just inches from the alien, she was yanked backward, a knee cruelly pushing her into the tile floor of her kitchen. Unseen hands pulling her hair and head upwards.

"You'll remember this, human," the voice hummed, twirling the pipe around the elbowed end pointed at the ground. Nudging the groaning male at his feet.

The first motion was a blur of blood covering the kid's face, running and spraying into her screaming mouth. The splitting of the second skull started and ended in silence.

The intrusive memory required a shake of her head to stave off; she had not thought of that event in years.

"I joined the Marines, did a few tours. Ended up here for the final conflict," Mary gulped down, trying to finish off with a change of subject, "you?"

Whether or not he noticed her foray into another realm, he didn't act as if he had. "I had retired years ago, but with the Reapers coming to Earth, it was my duty to return to service."

There the conversation ended. A long minute of silence passing between the two parties.

"So, what encouraged you to take out a raider encampment alone," he pressed with misplaced joviality.

The Commander stumbled, balked, "I wasn't alone."

You're fucking pathetic.

Pain seared across her cheek, requiring her hand to assuage it.

"Oh," he winced behind the soft utterance, "you did something good, recruit. They were an absolute menace-" He stopped, sensing the words fell on an empty mind.

But he was determined not to let this conversation continue in such complete disarray, "I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier; I'm Roy."

"Roy?"

"I hesitate to go by a formal chain of command, and I'm not entirely sure if," he paused, attempting to clear this without sounding like a power-mad dictator, "communication since the Reaper threat has been sparse at best. My men have, and I have been operating by the seat of our pants for months. We heard London was the final push, by little more than rumor mind you; upon arriving we had failed to connect with head brass before the threat had mysteriously been defeated. Obviously, order has yet to be restored."

"What's the status report?"

The old man gave her a slow grin, "Comms are down, and with so many grounded on Earth, supplies are hoarded. Some Alliance and Council Forces are trying to keep the peace, but that is problematic when food, shelter, and ammunition aren't exactly plentiful. Some are... preferring to act selfishly."

"I suppose it doesn't take much to stir up old grudges," she remarked wryly, "where does that leave you?"

"We're interested in peace, rebuilding. We won't survive if we squabble now, the Reapers may have well defeated us."

Shepard shook her head, "let's hope some of the others share your integrity."

Some legacy she left behind, bringing together most of the galaxy just to have it crumble moments after the greatest threat was over. They were meant to be the best the galaxy had to offer.

"Who are you?"

A failure if the first snappy comment in her mind was to be believed. She didn't want to be Shepard at this moment. Mary didn't feel up to the name, to the adorning praise she had received, the lofty and quite impossible accomplishments she had earned. Shepard had saved the galaxy, but she couldn't save a mother and child. She was the part that had killed 304,942 Batarians. The countless others caught in the crossfire and the ones that she had failed impress with the gravitas of the impending culling. Selfishly, the loss of her crew weighed heaviest; what were a few souls compared to a few hundred thousand others?

Shepard was too heavy of a name.

Shepard didn't deserve this pathetic fate.

Shepard should be dead.

"Jane."

"Jane?" the man mocked impetuously.

The joke was on him. Mary was hardly any less generic. Instead of a response, it earned the old man a slow eye roll. One practiced from years of reacting to the impressed way most reacted to her first name, with the legacy "Shepard" held a boring name wasn't expected.

With a sigh, 'Roy' propelled himself upright, first glancing over the men huddled in the far corner, then to the door. He stalked away without a word, leaving Jane in his wake. Weaponless and quite confused.

"Well, aren't you getting up? I have something to show you."

Catching her before her mouth could form the words, with a frown, she pushed from the cot. Throwing a tentative glance at the men as she picked a path around them. They seemed to pay her no mind but nodded at the older gentleman as he walked by. The group had a couple of guns between them, but they were left against the wall. Close but in no obvious state of threat.

"That worried about little old me?" she mused in the three quick steps to catch her guide.

"We did find you in a raider base," his grin drew across his wrinkled face slowly, "but it was the supplies I was worried about. We hold a tentative peace."

"Peace, with who?"

If Jane had waited another moment, the noise from beyond the balcony would have answered a now pointless question. She strode to the ledge, overlooking the huddled masses. The number was easily under fifty souls, comprised mostly of humans -omitting a few asari, one salarian, and two turians in the mix. They huddled in small groups in the large courtyard provided by the open-air mall.  A circular fountain, now placid, took up the center of the space, but only the Salarian lingered by the stagnant water running their hands over the clear surface of the water.

"How long ago were the Reapers destroyed?"

"A week."

"How long have I been here?"

"A day and some change."

Jane nodded, gripping the railing, "you're lucky this place wasn't destroyed."

"That's a word for it, damned lucky; the place has an atrium," he settled beside Jane, "beside our luck, we need to figure out how to feed everyone quickly."

"Although the Turians will still find a way to complain about their grub," she remarked cooly," then I brought a Quarian onboard, and I never heard the end of it."

Roy regarded her throughly, his curiosity was piqued, but he wouldn't push it. The woman had things she wanted to hide, and he would have to accept that for the time being. For now, he let her contemplate, allowing her the moment to hold something resembling a smile. Let the hardships of the situation come back slowly; neither of them needed the reminder of the losses they had endured. It would only get more difficult with time.

"Just don't leave out the east end. It makes this paradise just a little less idyllic."

Jane looked at him curiously but dropped it, "did you bring these people together?"

"As I said," he stated with a nod, pushing away from the balcony and beckoning her with a wave of his hands, "we arrived as what I could guess was the final push. There were a few wandering, dumbstruck. Others, like you, needing help."

He clipped down the frozen escalator, "I lost a lot of men getting to London. My unit of fifty quickly turned to fifteen, and we were lucky. Rather than join the intense fighting, we rounded up who we could. We've held out here since. It's becoming necessary to leave more often, but it's also getting more dangerous."

He rounded into the large chamber, with Jane on his heels.

"Lieutenant."

The sentiment echoed around the room, and the dulled faces brighten considerably. The other races with practiced coolness played at aloofness, though he had their rapt attention. The woman with him was a nobody, a newcomer, but he was important to each body in the room.

"LT?" Jane murmured, catching a moment of his ire.

A small figure streaked for the man, immediately whirled into the air with a fluidity she hadn't believed the man capable of. The girl squealed, clinging tightly to his thick neck. Her giddy laughter feeling out of place in the dower mood that stagnated around them. Jane looked away from the exchange, uncomfortable with the child. She wasn't exactly the kid sort... or one that should be left unsupervised with one.

Finally tired of being thrown about, the child put her hands on his cheeks, growing deathly serious, "I'm hungry, do you have food?"

Her parental figure admonished her from afar.

"Remember, we only eat when it is mealtime," he spoke gently to the mousy girl, setting her down promptly, "you'll grow too fast if you eat all the time. This old man can hardly lift you as is!"

"Fine," the child puffed, "only because I like playing with you."

The girl's eyes bored into Jane, giving the woman a cross look before returning to her disappointed Father.

"Why bring me here?"

Jane finally spat out, angry that she had been played. Angrier that it was working.

"I'm not above a little manipulation to get you to stay," his gaze remained on the girl, only slowly returning to the blue-eyed woman behind him.

"You can't know I won't fuck this up," she returned solemnly, "or be sure of who I am."

Roy's face hardened, "be practical. What will you do once your gun runs out of clips? You don't have armor. You don't have food."

Jane glared at him sharply, but was it being told no or being presented with logical advice that bothered her more?

"Go, if you like. I won't stop you," he shoved the gun into her hand, "I really won't. But neither can you come back."

"I-"

"Or you can try it out for a bit, get your bearing here. It's better than rotting or ending up with a bad crowd," he breathed out sharply," and don't start with that bullshit all over again. If you have that gun, you obviously know how to use it... and I could use, need, someone that can handle a gun. The rest can wait."

His change of tactics was noted, if she had tried to guess what sent his words reelings she would bet on regret. It was the first concrete sign of pain she had read from the man. It clouded his judgment of her, of whatever he thought she could do to help him. To help the community he was building. It was a noble pursuit; for that reason alone she had to take herself from it. Those around the Commander had the habit of getting killed.

"I'm not-"

"Cut that shit too, Recruit! What you've done previous to this point isn't important to me. Nobody gives a shit about your record- what you can do now matters. Being alive later for whoever claims your sorry ass is what matters."

[gaangadventures]

Soulmates

Part One / Part Two / Part Three

Feel free to request!! c:

You used to meditate alone in the mornings, although after the Southern Air Temple, the airbender himself would start to join you. You thought it was nice and it had somewhat reminded you of how you had done the same with your brother.

But you had yet to find out what they thought of your scar, mostly keeping it covered with your armor. You almost hadn’t wanted them to find out either, since a firebender having a burn scar was practically unheard of.

However they may think of you, you at least wanted them on your side. Where else would you go now? Your brother thought you were a traitor, and your father had banished you years ago. Thinking of Zuko had brought a small frown to your face, even though you tried to keep your expressions neutral for the most part.

“You have no idea where you’re going, do you?” Sokka remarked, fiddling with the very same map that you had been tempted to burn on more than one occasion. Mostly because you couldn’t be bothered to read it.

“Well, I know it’s near water.” Aang answered, before turning to the lemur on his shoulder.“Momo, marbles please.”

At the moment, you had been attempting to help Katara with her sewing. Although it was mostly just her trying to teach you since you had never done it before. There had been no need for you to do so, and you never learned. “How does that work?” You muttered, mostly to yourself, biting the side of your lip in concentration.

“You’re doing it backwards.” Katara tried to explain, showing you how to start again, and you let out a huff of frustration.

“How does Sokka even get so many dumb holes in his pants?” You were almost ready to give up, but hadn’t really wanted to since the only other girl was actually starting to get along with you.

“Here, like this.” She tried one more time, and you had finally understood it somewhat. Attempting to patch it, you had actually managed to sew part of it, even if it did not look as good as what Katara had done.

“Hey Y/N, Katara, check out this airbending trick.” While continuing to sew, he attempted to catch your attention, but you knew that if you looked away from this, you would not be able to continue it.

“That’s great, Aang.” You spoke up, pulling the thread and tightening the patch.

“That’s really nice.” Katara followed, having not looked as well as you.

“Neither of you even looked.”

“That’s great.” 

“But I’m not doing it now.”

“You need to give girls space when they do their sewing.” He was in for it now.

“What does us being girls have to do with sewing?” She asked, and you could tell by the edge of her tone that there would be an argument and it almost made you want to laugh. The last argument you had gotten into with your own brother had actually been about his obsession with the avatar, and with that thought, you began to wonder if more siblings were like you and your own or more like Katara and Sokka. 

“Simple. Girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It’s just the natural order of things.”

“All done with your pants, and look what a great job we did.” You couldn’t help but laugh when she threw the pants and it had hit him in the face. He deserved that one.

“Wait! I was just kidding! I can’t wear these! Katara, please!” He pleaded, showing how bad the hole was by putting his arm through it. “Y/N?” You only shook your head, feeling oddly satisfied at this.

“Relax, Sokka. Where we’re going, you won’t need any pants.” Hearing Aang talk, your satisfaction had been replaced with concern.

“What exactly do you mean by that?” You asked, raising your eyebrow as your worry and concern only grew. “Aang, where are we going?”

“You’ll see!” You only got an excited response and a grin, and you hoped that this sort of thing was optional.

When Appa had landed onto the ground, you could safely say that you could sew a patch now and you were more excited over the fact that Katara was actually talking to you. Did she forget you were a firebender or something? You assumed so and it wasn’t like you liked to show off your ability much, if at all.

“We just made a pit stop yesterday. Shouldn’t we get a little more flying done before we camp out?” The water tribe boy mentioned, as everyone was getting off of the bison.

“He’s right. At this rate, we won’t get to the North Pole until spring.”

“But Appa’s tired already. Aren’t you, boy?” At Aang’s sentence to his companion, he let out a low grunt. “I said, aren’t you, boy?” He repeated, lightly elbowing Appa, and the bison began to yawn.

“Yeah, that was real convincing. Still, hard to argue with a 10-ton magical monster.” Sokka spoke up, and you pet Appa before beginning to follow the rest of the group as they walked towards the water.

You had heard of these from your brother, but actually seeing the giant fish leap out of the water was another thing.

“That’s why we’re here--elephant koi, and I’m gonna ride it. Y/N, you’ve gotta watch me.” Once you realized just what he was doing, you immediately turned your gaze, your cheeks most likely turning pink. Did he not own a swimsuit or something? You did, but you had left yours back at the palace since you no longer needed it. That, and you had outgrown that one by now.

Your gaze was brought back to him however when you heard a splash and a “Cold!” Now seeing him on top of the elephant koi, you couldn’t help but be in awe. And also maybe a little jealous since you wanted to do that too and it looked so cool!

“He looks pretty good out there.” You commented, only for Sokka to put his two cents in.

“Are you kidding? The fish is doing all the work.”

“No, Appa! Don’t eat that!” You cried out, hurrying over to get the bison away from it, he was most definitely not supposed to be eating that.

“There’s something in the water!” Sokka yelled, catching your attention before you hurried back to the shore, listening to Momo chatter out his worries as well.

“What’s wrong?”

“Aang’s in trouble.” Katara informed you, and all three of you began yelling at him to come back. Whether he could hear any of you was another thing however.

It seemed like he didn’t quite understand since he waved at you guys before the giant koi had sent him flying into the water, only moments before another giant creature rose its large fin from the waters. What even was that? Once Aang could see it, he was quite literally running across the water. You were just glad that he had run into Sokka upon reaching the shore instead of you. That had to have hurt.

“What was that thing?” Katara was quick to ask, your gaze flickering from each sibling and then Aang.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, let’s not stick around to find out. Time to hit the road.” Sokka placed his input, and you were thinking of something to add to the conversation when all of you were overtaken before any of you could even try to use your bending.

Being blindfolded and having your arms bound at the same time was not a pleasant feeling.

“Or we could stay a while.” Sokka added to his previous statement, while you were thinking of ways to escape. You could burn your way through, but you weren’t sure just how many there were or if you could even get the others out. So for now, you supposed you’d let this play out while being practically dragged along by some strangers.

“You four have some explaining to do.” A man said, the four of you now bound to a pole that you were itching to burn. But you weren’t exactly up for hurting your companions, as your control wasn’t that great yet.

“And if you don’t answer all our questions, we’re throwing you back in the water with the Unagi.”

“Is that what that thing is called?” You couldn’t help but mutter, mostly ignoring whoever was talking. You couldn’t see them anyway.

“Show yourselves, cowards!” The water tribe boy shouted, before all of your blindfolds were taken off. Blinking your eyes to adjust to the light, you could see that they were all women with a similar uniform, and you bit your lip to keep most of your excitement from bubbling out. These were the Kyoshi Warriors! You had read about them after sneaking into the royal library one night and had accidentally stayed up too late that night, you had been absolutely dreadful at training the next day.

At the faint memory, you looked down at your covered wrist. It hadn’t left as bad of a scar as the latest one had, nearly limiting your range of motion.

“Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. All of you were meeting spectacular warriors, of course Sokka had to be sexist about it. How did Katara put up with him for so long?

“There were no men. We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?”

“Wait a second. There’s no way a bunch of girls took us down.”

“I think you’re forgetting your sister is stronger than you.” You remarked, hoping to knock him down a couple pegs.

“A bunch of girls, huh? The unagi’s going to eat well tonight.”

“No, don’t hurt him! He didn’t mean it! My brother’s just an idiot sometimes.” Katara interrupted, while you hadn’t said anything in his defense.

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi.” Aang spoke up, a mildly sad tone to his voice.

“How do we know you’re not Fire Nation spies? Even one of you is dressed like Fire Nation.” The man in blue mentioned, pointing at you.

“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t exactly have any spare clothes.” You commented, your own voice holding a ruder tone than you had meant to. “I’m not a Fire Nation spy.” You carefully answered, having almost said that you weren’t Fire Nation, but that would be a lie. You didn’t agree with the nation and such, but it was your home. You couldn’t deny that part of yourself.

“Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way.” You assumed the man was the leader of the island, and you couldn’t say you liked him much but you could at least respect him for not having hurt any of you. Yet.

“This island is named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi.”

“Ha! How could you possibly know her? Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago. She’s been dead for centuries.”

“I know her because I’m the avatar.”

“That’s impossible. The last avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago.”

“That’s me.”

“Aang, now’s a good time to do some airbending.” You added, looking at both Sokka and Aang to make sure you weren’t touching either of them before closing your eyes and heating up your hands. You had to be precise with this.

“Throw the impostor to the unagi.” The leader cried out, and suddenly the ounce of respect you had for him was gone as the Kyoshi Warriors drew up their fans and you had very carefully burned the rope through without even setting the rest of it alight.

At the leader’s command though, the monk had broken out of the ropes by flying into the air and you slipped out of your own at the same moment.

“It’s true. You are the avatar.” The leader finally agreed as Aang floated down to the ground.

“Now, check this out.” He said, before grabbing the marbles out of his shawl and spinning them in between his hands without touching them, which you had to admit was pretty cool. And apparently the people of Kyoshi Island agreed, cheering for him, and even one guy was foaming at the mouth. Was he okay? You blinked, looking at the now unconscious man in concern.

You stretched, somewhat worried about what the people would do if they found out you were a firebender with a high status. Would you be cast out? Or would it be worse when they found your title? Princess Y/N, banished princess of the Fire Nation. They couldn’t use you for much, seeing as you were banished, your father wouldn’t accept a ransom. Practically trapped in your thoughts, you hadn’t noticed when everyone else was awake after a night in one of the empty houses on Kyoshi.

You also hadn’t noticed that you had started pacing some time ago, your gaze switching from the floor and to the statue of avatar Kyoshi being repainted.

“All right! Dessert for breakfast! These people sure know how to treat an avatar. Mm! Y/N, you’ve gotta try these.” Aang exclaimed after a few people had brought over practically a feast of pastries, and he was quick to try a few as they left. Katara was hesitantly tasting a puff of some sort on his left. You weren’t even sure if your stomach could handle anything yet, as you had been bubbling with nervousness, but you caved at his look.

“Maybe just a bite.” You answered, carefully sitting at his right before reaching and taking a puff that looked somewhat similar to what Katara had picked up. You glanced over at the rest of them before taking a bite and being pleasantly surprised at the taste of it.

“Sokka, what’s your problem? Eat!” 

“I’m not hungry.”

“But you’re always hungry.”

“Since I’ve known you, you’ve complained more about food than anything else. Are you that upset about being beaten by girls? My sister and I used to beat my brother all of the time.” You spoke up, making sure not to talk with any food in your mouth. 

“They snuck up on me.” Sokka retorted, only for his sister to mouth off as well.

“Right, and then they kicked your butt.”

“Sneak attacks don’t count. Tie me up with ropes.. I’ll show them a thing or two.. I’m not scared of any girls. Who do they think are, anyway?” Sokka exclaimed, before beginning to leave the room muttering to himself, then promptly turning around to grab a few desserts.

“What’s he so angry about? It’s great here. They’re giving us the royal treatment.” With that, you held back a wince. You did not want to be a royal anymore, not that you really did in the first place.

“I disagree. I think I prefer camping out in the woods.” At least then you wouldn’t have to worry about failing your firebending training or if you’d done too well to the point of upsetting either sibling.

“Hey, don’t get too comfortable. It’s risky for us to stay in one place for very long. Especially with Y/N and her brother on our trail.” At Katara’s comment, you only nodded in agreement, although you were saddened at the thought of your last meeting with your brother.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Besides, did you see how happy I’m making this town? They’re even cleaning up that statue in my honor.”

“Well, it’s nice to see you excited about being the avatar. I just hope it doesn’t all go to your head.”

“Come on, you know me better than that. I’m just a simple monk.” He said, standing up and looking out through the open window, immediately hearing girls cheer. 

As he left the house, he had been chased around by his fangirls while you had been helping Katara ready with things she was more accustomed to. Holding a jar as she picked out the ingredients wasn’t difficult, you thought as Aang had managed to excuse himself from his fangirls for a moment.

“Hey Aang. Can you help carry this back to the room? It’s a little heavy.” Katara asked, while you just bit your tongue to keep from saying anything rude.

“Actually, I can’t right now.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?”

“I promised the girls I’d give them a ride on Appa. Why don’t you two come with us? It’ll be fun.”

“Watching you show off for a bunch of girls does not sound like fun.”

“Well, neither does carrying your basket.”

“It’s not my basket. These supplies are for our trip. I told you, we have to leave Kyoshi soon.”

“I don’t want to leave Kyoshi yet. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something I really like about this place.”

“Oh, I could tell you what it is.” You muttered, eyes narrowed at the mob of girls already forming not too far away.

“What’s taking you so long, Aangie?” One of them yelled at him, and if you were almost tempted to throw a ball of fire at her. That was your soulmate she was talking to like that!

“Aangie?” Katara asked, and you were so very glad that she happened to be saying pretty much everything that you wouldn’t.

“Just a second, Koko.” He turned around, giving her a smile and a wave.

“Simple monk, right?” You remarked, before forcing yourself to somewhat relax upon seeing a bit of steam coming from your hands. You had to be calm before you set something ablaze, but at least you were practicing your self-control lately.

“I thought you promised that this avatar stuff wouldn’t go to your head.” Katara said

“It didn’t. You know what I think? You two just don’t want to come because you’re jealous.”

“Jealous? Of what?” You almost scoffed, although you were pretty sure that he had hit the nail right on the head there. 

“Jealous that we’re having so much fun without you.” Aang responded, but you hadn’t said a word this time.

“That’s ridiculous.” Katara agreed with you, placing one more ingredient in the heavy jar.

“It is a little ridiculous, but I understand.” Aang said, causing you both to huff and walk off, heavy jars in each of your arms.

Heading back to the room, the two of you put the jars not too far from the entrance so that you wouldn’t have to carry it too far when the group would leave.

“He was right, wasn’t he?” Katara coolly commented, leaving you to almost babble in surprise, before ultimately giving up.

“Yeah.” You answered shortly, letting her speak as you began your stretches as she started to practice with her waterbending.

“Is it his name on your wrist?” To which, you nodded, taking a layer of clothing off as you finished them and began your firebending training.

“I doubt it’s my name on his though.” You admitted, feeling like you had actually managed to make a friend without either Azula or Zuko being friends with them first. It also happened to be the first time anyone had seen the majority of your scar apart from the physician.

“Y/N, when did that happen?” Katara asked, a bit of concern seeping into her tone for her newfound friend, once she could see the extent of your scar that covered your shoulder and all the way down to your right wrist.

“It happened three years ago.” You said, feeling a bit of shame for being a firebender with a burn scar, but mostly anger at what your father had done to both of you because the two of you disagreed with him in different ways.

“Oh spirits. . Y/N.. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry that happened.” You weren’t sure what she was thinking of when she fell quiet.

“Hey, Katara, it’ll be okay.” You murmured, before continuing, unsure of whether or not you should hug her.

“Can I ask, who did this?”

“My father. But I left, and I don’t plan on going back.” You answered, stiffening for a moment when she hugged you, not having expected it.

As you each turned back to your training, having bonded more than either of you expected, in walks the avatar himself.

“Y/N, remember how the unagi almost got me yesterday?

“Yeah.” You answered curtly, creating a flame in your hand as you balanced yourself on one leg. This was about control, and you needed to practice. You made the fire curl like as if it was water around your hands.

“Well, I’m gonna go ride it now. It’s going to be real dangerous.”

“Good for you.”

“You’re not going to stop me?”

“Nope, have fun.” 

“I will.”

“Great.”

“I know it’s great.”

“Well, I’m glad you know.”

“I’m glad you’re glad.”

“Good!”

“Fine!” The two of you bickered back and forth, your own flame growing in size but before you lost control, you dispelled it so you could calm down.

“Are you sure that it’s not your name on his wrist?” She teased, your cheeks growing hotter as you dropped your flame again.

“I’m sure!” You exclaimed, although you hoped that she was right.

“Okay, then go see him when you’re done and see how he reacts, and I won’t be going.”

“He likes you, not me, Katara.” You remarked bluntly, glancing over at her to see her just shaking her head. You would go to see him alone, and you’d be proven right, of course.

You always liked to be right, and this would be no different. Or maybe you just couldn’t imagine someone liking you for you. You shook your head at the thought of it. Now you couldn’t focus, and you ended up leaving earlier than you usually would have finished your training.

You ended up arriving at the shore just in time as his fangirls were leaving, secretly being quite satisfied with that fact, not that you would admit that.

“Y/N, you showed up!” You noticed that he happened to be quite excited, but you chalked it up to it just being because you were his friend.

“Yeah, I wanted to make sure you didn’t get eaten or anything. I was worried.”

“Back there you acted like you didn’t care.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me, too. I did let all that attention go to my head. I was being a jerk.”

“Alright jerk, now get out of the water before you get sick.” You joked, knowing that he wouldn’t take that seriously.

“On my way!” He yelled back, before swimming back as you noticed the unagi behind him. Within moments, the creature had caught up with him, lifting him out of the water on its scales only to spray water out of its mouth at him, but you noticed he was at least alive when he was screaming and holding onto its whiskers, being flung around like a ragdoll. You hurried towards him when he had finally let go, landing in the water. For a moment you wished you could bend water instead when you grabbed onto him and the unagi leaned down to see you, but you shot a ball of fire at it. You missed and it was quick to spray where you were, creating a wave and knocking the both of you backwards.

The two of you had been lucky when you washed up a bit behind rocks, having a natural cover, and the serpent hadn’t seen you. Upon looking out at the sea again, you could see the metal Fire Nation ship and you instantly knew it was Zuko’s. Skillfully hiding behind some rocks as komodo rhinos walked onto the island, you moved Aang to wake him up.

“Y/N. .” He coughed out, while you let out a breath of both exasperation and relief. “Don’t ride the unagi. Not fun.”

You had been quick to help him up onto his feet and head back to the town, 

“Hey avatar, these little girls can’t help you now.”

“Hey, over here!” Aang yelled out to your brother, as you tried your best to control the flames burning the houses. He kept him distracted as best as he could, and you couldn’t help the village as it began to burn down, with even the repainted statue of Kyoshi burning.

“Look what I brought to this place.”

“This isn’t your fault.” 

“Yes, it is. These people got their town destroyed trying to protect me.”

“Zuko will leave Kyoshi to follow us if we leave. I think it’s the best way.” You attempted to comfort him, while you were helping Katara keep kids away from the flames.

“I’ll call Appa.”

The three of you and Momo were on Appa, helping Sokka onto the bison, as you glanced down at the flames and you could see your brother in it all. You probably wouldn't have noticed, had it not been for his hair.

“I know it’s hard, but you did the right thing, Aang.” You spoke up, noticing the look on his face. “ Zuko would have destroyed the whole island if we stayed.”  You couldn’t help but think that it was partially your fault, remembering the betrayed look on his face when you had gone against him and helped the avatar. Blinking the memory away, you quickly saw him jump off of Appa, simply falling into the water only to come out riding the unagi. Letting your shoulders drop for a moment, you couldn’t say you were entirely surprised when he used the serpent’s ability to spray water to help the village.

You were at least glad when he jumped back up and Appa had managed to catch him just in time.

“I know, I know. That was stupid and dangerous.”

“Glad to know you’re learning.” You said as he came back, before giving him a momentarily awkward hug.

[derireo]

a3! as part-timers

I FINALLY FINISHED IT AGAIN. Thank you all for being patient with me because I really liked these headcanons and Tumblr just decided to delete them all <3

WARNING: rookie Chikage Utsuki will be included! (this means spoilers for Act 5 are present throughout).

It's canon that Sakuya works with Misumi, but I have no clue as to what their jobs are. Let's safely assume that Sakuya works at a cafe! His bright disposition and cheerful smile is bound to put a smile on customer's face, but he's a little clumsy when it comes to making drinks so his co-workers always tell him to stick to the cash register. It suits him anyways, being able to talk to different people of different walks of life. He mostly works in the mornings, only after he manages to get Masumi to school on time. He is a customer favourite no doubt, and he brings in a lot of tips for all of the workers to share! Many of the children that come by love him, and especially teachers who are running late to work deem him the sunshine in their life.

Masumi would work at a music shop. Not to be obvious or anything, but music is possibly one of the only constants in his life and he grew a deep bond with it while staying alone at home for most of his life. So when he manages to get a job at shop in inside Veludo Mall, he's ecstatic. Although he gets to spend less time in the dorm (which means less time with the Director), Masumi absolutely loves perusing the endless aisles of music cds, vinyl records, posters, and so much more. He's also very diligent at his job, organizing things perfectly and on time and even helping out customers even though he doesn't really want to. His coworkers grow so fond of him to the point that they let him listen to his own music while doing his job, headphones on while he reorganizes things on the shelves.

I don't really know what part-time job Citron would have, but I know he hangs around the Veludo markets a lot. He's there all the time, helping out the lovely ladies at their food stalls by actively advertising their products of the day and even charming young couples into buying some trinkets at another stall. His charm is very effective, smile so dazzling and eyes so hypnotizing that you can't help but follow him towards a stall where they're selling handmade mochi or fresh produce. This is all volunteering though, Citron doesn't get paid with money. What he does get paid with is lots of hugs and groceries to bring home to the dorm-- much to the delight of Izumi and Omi! Citron's so popular at the markets that he receives a greeting from every single stall while he passes by. And he never leaves empty handed!

Tsuzuru tends to boast about the countless number of part-time jobs he's had. From gas station worker, to waiter, to library work, he has done a lot of things. I don't really think it's something to brag about because if I had that many jobs I would probably d-word. But working at Mankai as a playwright, that's already his dream come true. I don't think he'd want to work anywhere else when he's writing stories and bringing them to life like he has always wanted and it makes me happy to see that he's living out his dream. If anything, if he does work a part-time job, it's probably to get extra money to spend on his younger and older brothers since he's such a family man. And because his stories bring so much attention to Mankai, Sakyo compensates Tsuzuru very generously.

Gaming is Itaru's part-time job. Taruchi is a mysterious persona who is crazy good at video games and has a soothing voice. The kick is that nobody knows what he looks like and Itaru would like to keep it that way. He's a popular streamer and Let's Player so there's no doubt that he is raking in a lot of cash. How he finds time to juggle an office job, Mankai, and streaming is beyond me, but it is absolutely impressive because despite how lazy he seems to be, he is a diligent worker who is very good at entertaining people. Plus, nobody knowing what his face looks like brings in a lot of intrigue and fans. Itaru always baits his fans that just maybe he'll reveal his face to them, but never does. Everyone loves his teasing and Itaru loves messing with people. One of the top streamers on his platform and he's proud of it. The appearance of Banri's NEO also helps a lot with bringing in viewers. (The extra money he makes is donated to the Mankai fund box)

Not gonna lie, but with Chikage being a spy as well as an office worker, I don't think he has enough time to have another job on top of that. As we saw in Act 5, he worked tirelessly on his computer, rarely sleeping. Being a spy is hard work, and now that he realizes that Hisoka may not have betrayed the organization, he now has to work to keep Hisoka's location hidden from enemies. Can you imagine being an office worker tho.... could never be me. Sry Chikage and Itaru lmfao but that sounds painful. Anyways, if Chikage isn't actively working for the organization and isn't posting on his curry blog, maybe he's doing tech support? He's always sitting at his computer so he might as well you know lmfaoo

"I'm too famous to work a part-time job" he says while at the same time applying to work at a bonsai shop. Who are you kidding, Tenma? Also pretty sure the owners don't really care so he gets the job right away since they're in desperate need of help. Tenma acts kind of bratty as it is his first time having a job that isn't acting, but he gets knocked down a few pegs when he has to carry around heavy bags of soil and nutrients for the bonsai trees. Eventually, he comes to love his job, seeing the owners as part of his family as they take great care of him while he works at their shop. Unfortunately, there will still be those fans who will watch him as he works at the bonsai shop, but Tenma uses it to his advantage, saying that if they want to look a little more, they're going to have to buy a bonsai tree. The owners are like ??? wtf tenma ??? but inevitably, it brings in a lot of business;;;

Yuki would definitely work at a boutique as an apprentice!! Working with different types of fabric and body shapes and frills, god, what a dream come true for him! Sure, making costumes for Mankai is one thing, but those are costumes, not actual clothes you would wear outside on the daily. His skill in clothes is amazing and it amazes his mentor who watches on proudly as Yuki sews something gorgeous every single time he comes to help. And Yuki absolutely loves being there too, getting to work on normal every day people who aren't huge hulking men that manage to ruin their measurements every time Yuki makes something for them. Plus, using this experience from his apprenticeship helps him a lot if he so chooses to go to a school for fashion. I'm rooting for you, Yuki!

Working at a manga store, Muku is absolutely in love. He's already in the Library Committee at school so might as well work somewhere book related, right? The boy was lucky to get the job at his favourite manga shop at the mall, and he doesn't even need to wear a uniform! As long as he wears his employee lanyard and name tag, he is all good to go! Being surrounded with his favourite book series and figurines and posters alike is very exciting for Muku, and he works extremely well with customers who need help looking for recommendations or gifts. His enthusiasm charms everyone he talks to and he becomes a customer and workplace favourite after a couple of days. His avid hobby of reading manga is apparent to everyone he comes across, and when he meets another customer who is just as dedicated to manga as he, they have long talks while Muku convinces them to buy more books.

Kazunari would definitely work at an arts store. Cliche, I know, but he wouldn't want to be anywhere else! Michaels would be a good place to start, but knowing how great he is at aesthetics, I think a paint store would do him well too. Both places would mostly have university students as their workers anyways so Kazunari would fit in right away! Popular with customers due to his enthusiasm with art, Kazunari gets a lot of requests for help when choosing certain pigments and wallpapers for bedrooms and large scale art projects. His knowledge with the subject of art is deep and wide, so he is able to answer any questions thrown his way. He is so loved at his job that when he eventually quits to achieve bigger things, they throw a party for him and all promise to visit and watch his next play!

It's canon that Misumi is a freelancer, which means he works any type of odd job and never sticks to one for too long. The job that he has kept the longest is the cafe one where he's with Sakuya. He actually helped Sakuya get this job at the first place, and when they work together, they're a force to be reckoned with! They bring in a lot of tips together and since Misumi is so quick on his feet and speedy with his hands, there's never a line up for drinks. Everything goes out the door just as fast as they had come in and his co-workers love him for it. He is also very popular for his fanged tooth and eye crinkling smile! Many regulars give him triangles as their tips! And if Misumi isn't working at the cafe, he's helping out as a mover because he's quick and strong (like we saw in HaGT), or he is helping out the local mailman. Because the mailman is growing older in age, Misumi takes it upon himself to help him deliver the rest of the mail so that the sweet old man can go home early. Misumi is always seen running around the neighbourhood with the mailbag!

I know this will sound weird, but I think Banri would fare well as a tutor. Knowing that he can just flip through a textbook once and immediately know what to do, I think it would do everyone good if he helped tutor those who struggle. Although I bash Banri a lot (as a joke) I am still able to see that he cares very much for others. He has rarely struggled in his life and clearly doesn't understand the hardships of the other members when they can't seem to do this or that, so he does his best to put himself in their shoes so he knows what he can do to help others who are struggling much the same. So Tsumugi helps him get a tutoring gig, and he hits it off right away. It's impressive really, how he's able to help students understand concepts they once thought they would never be able to get and it makes Banri happy. Banri is someone who wishes to help others-- he even says that he wants to help Mankai grow by bringing back the knowledge he learns at Veludo Arts. And I don't think he'd need the money, so he donates most of it to the Mankai funds.

Is it cliche of me to put Juza in a bakery? You know, sweets, confectionaries. BREAD. God, knowing how Juza grew up with a loving mom who almost always baked sweets for him and Kumon makes me want to cry. I love them so much. Anyways, he'd be a little clumsy in the back kitchen so I think he would just stick to decorating pastries and mini cakes and all that. It's a very curious thing to watch as a customer, a young, mean looking man scrunching his eyebrows as he puts a smiley face on a cupcake. It's cute. There's also another part of me that wants to see him work as an apprentice for shūji, or traditional Japanese calligraphy. Knowing that Juza studied it when he was younger (and that's why his signature is nice), it would definitely be pretty cool for him to do scrolls and stuff. It's a tough job though, considering the art of Japanese calligraphy is an important thing, and every stroke and word you write counts. It's a beautiful art form though, and Juza could make a pretty penny out of commissions.

After learning about journalling from Izumi, Taichi most definitely applied to work at a stationary shop. He's a bit clumsy with it, but he's got the spirit and that's all that matters! Strangely enough, this is one of the rare times where he isn't actively vying for attention, but for some reason he gets it a lot here. It's not like he minds or anything, but please, ladies, quiet down ^^; He is a favourite in the workplace though since he's so energetic and is always eager to help out customers; especially the old grandmas who are looking for gifts to give their grandchildren. The old ladies love him too, and they pamper him a lot much to his bashful enjoyment. And since his coworkers know that he loves journalling so much, they give him a lot of extra stock to bring home so that he can share it with Izumi and Omi! On a less serious note, he'd probably do public dance battles outside with his friends to get a quick buck.

Man... Omi would work at a bakery too. Most likely he would work with Juza because that would make sense, and both of their presences at the bakery shop would attract a lot of attention. Two, hulking dudes working at a bakery shop? Count me in pls. He'd be the one working at the back kitchen, baking everything and such. I would have also liked to put him in a restaurant, but considering that you can't become a sous chef or even a head chef until years later (due to the hierarchy and training), I don't think I want him to do that. He's already studying to become a business major after all so it would be difficult to juggle two separate things to study for. He would also work great as a photographer, but he doesn't do any taxing jobs unless it's for Mankai or very close friends. His friends always pay him too much, but they insist he keeps the money (which he puts into Mankai funds) and as compensation from Sakyo, the older man lets Omi indulge in buying expensive ingredients for that night's dinner.

Why is Sakyo working so hard? I'm getting worried. He works as Mankai's accountant and is part of the Yakuza; those are already two stressful things to work for. He has so much to do and there's always a lot of plate considering he manages a lot of Mankai with Matsukawa and Izumi, and on top of that he always acts as Mankai's Papa, Accountant, and Grumpy Old Man at the End of the Street. And when he isn't doing anything at Mankai, Patriarch Izumida calls him in for a task to do at Ginsenkai or the area they patrol. He also owns a freakin' diner that is under Ginsenkai's care like?? wtf Sakyo. He works so hard, spends tireless days to help keep Mankai afloat and it makes my heart hurty </3 Sakyo was my first crush so I can't help but worry a little and he's my comfort character whenever I'm way too engrossed at looking at Omi's huge bahonkerz so pls... Sakyo take care of urself I'm begging. Also most of the money he earns goes to his family, and the rest is for Mankai's funds.

Tsumugi on the other hand would stay as a tutor since it's canon! Sure, he has a bit of competition now that he's helped Banri enter the tutoring scene, but he's still got his loyal students to take care of. He is a very diligent worker and is very smart so working out problems is nothing too hard for him. He cares for each and every student he has, writing personalized study outlines for them as well as keeping notes on them with what they're struggling on, what they're excelling at, and even takes notes on their study habits and how long their attention lasts for until they need to take a break. Tsumugi makes sure that he is teaching his students properly and cares for them a lot. If not tutoring, he is helping at the local Veludo flower boutique and is very popular there. He helps create a lot of bouquets with deep meanings, but sometimes those bouquets he makes are gifting to him right after, lmao

Ugh as for Tasuku, knowing how good he is at fixing things, he would be great at an electronics store or a mechanics shop. He has a natural talent at fixing things and I can only assume it's because as a child, he really loved tinkering with items that were laying around the house. Plus, knowing that he has an older brother, he probably had a lot of Gundam sets laying around that sparked his interest in building things. You've seen him fix a lot of things right? To his motorcycle, his car, the television, my heart, omfg he can do it all like wtf. He becomes so skilled at fixing cars that he somehow acquires the skill to soup them up too?? When did those big ass rims get there? Where the hell did those damn hydraulics come from? That sort of thing. God he would look so sexy in a classic Ford Mustang </3 On the other hand, I think he would be great at becoming an acting coach. He might give Yuzo a run for his money.

It's canon that Hisoka has a job, but no one really knows what it is I think. I believe he would be a mattress tester! Remember that backstage story with the All Male Lap Pillow Competition or whatever? Hisoka is basically a connoisseur at all things soft and comfortable because he chose Izumi's lap as the most comfortable. He said it was so soft (god I wish I were him) that he could fall asleep and he did!!! Absolutely amazing. With his picky sleeping choices, Hisoka is able to tell whether this or that mattress prototype is good to go or needs some working on. The benefits to this job is that he gets to sleep a lot too because of course, they need to see if the mattress is good enough to sleep on!! Of course he gets paid in money, but since his managers know that he loves marshmallows, they pay him in that too.

Does Homare really need a part-time job? He's basically a renowned writer, it's just that Mankai seems ignorant to the fact. Tsuzuru and Muku has found a whole bunch of his books in the library for goodness sake so of course he's making mad bank! In HaGT he had a business meeting with a publisher/editor so you can't really tell me that he isn't good at his job because if he's having international meetings?? UHM. Of course he's famous literally what is he at Mankai for? The Found Family??? GOD OF COURSE you can stay Homare I love you so much. But seriously, he is super rich, and because he loves Mankai so much, he helps out and chips in to fill the Mankai funds so that they can stay afloat.

And here we have Azuma. I am not going to lie, but I am very protective over Azuma when it comes to his part-time job. Azuma was lonely for a huge chunk of life, unable to fill the void where his family used to sit in his heart. So he picked up skincare, and then he picked up cuddling/escort. His job in the past was full of false security and fake love that would never seal the cracks in his body, but when he found Mankai, something was different. He felt like he belonged somewhere. Especially after Nocturnality, it's obvious that Azuma has finally found his home. So I don't want him to go back to his cuddling/escort job;;; but if he wants to work again, I think being a skincare consultant would be really good! Since his skin is so flawless, many customers would flock to him for advice and the best products to use. His gentle voice and soothing caress as he rubs cream into his customer's skin is hypnotizing, and he shares his skincare routine with anyone who is willing to spend the time, effort, and money into making their skin look pretty like his.

[imjustthemechanic]

The Price of a Soul

Part 1/? - Agent Russel Part 2/? - The Letter Part 3/? - Miss Lake Part 4/? - The Stewardess

Miss Lake has been spotted on her way to New York, and by the time she gets there, Peggy thinks she has figured out why.

-

Peggy found it very difficult to sleep properly the next few nights.  She would toss and turn, with the bedclothes coming free of the mattress and her curlers coming loose in her hair, as she puzzled over the situation and tried to figure out what it all meant.

Based on Lake’s techniques it seemed clear enough that she had come from the same place as Dottie – a facility that trained women from childhood to be perfect, undetectable spies.  Evidently, it worked, since Peggy had now fallen for it twice. That being the case, it seemed clear enough that Lake’s mission was to locate Dottie and… and do what?  The Soviet government had already denied all knowledge of her and made it clear that they didn’t want her back.  Dottie didn’t seem to want to go back, most likely because she knew she’d be executed at once and nobody would shed a tear for her.

Either way, Dottie would be no longer be the SSR’s problem. That might be a good thing, except for the part where Soviet agents were operating on US soil apparently at will.  People like Masters, and now Governor Strieber in Nevada with the mob breathing down his neck, already thought the SSR was unnecessary in peacetime, or even actively doing more harm than good.  Capturing Dottie would be a way to demonstrate that they weren’t useless and could correct their mistakes.  But to capture Dottie they might first have to capture Lake.

And then, apparently just because all that wasn’t enough of a bloody headache, there were the numbers.

What else could they be, if not the location of the Valkyrie?  There wasn’t much else up in that part of Canada besides the occasional polar bear. The most obvious explanation seemed to be it was some kind of trick or trap, a distraction, a piece of psychological torture – which it definitely was – but what if?  If the Russians did know where Steve’s body was, had they already retrieved it?  During the war other countries had certainly been working on their own super-soldiers. The Geneva Convention had condemned such experiments as inhumane, but that certainly wasn’t enough to stop some people.

She was going to need a strong cup of tea in the morning if she were going to be good for anything.

How had she been so stupid?  The FBI didn’t employ female agents – posing as one had merely played to Peggy’s sympathies.  And she’d already known that Lake was an actress.  She’d been doing MacBeth when Peggy walked in and Rose had even said she wasn’t terrible.  When Daniel had told her Strieber had called in the FBI she should have asked for the agent’s name then and there, but she’d been too annoyed.  If she’d known to expect Nedrick instead of Nadine she could have arrested the woman at once!

Why had she given Peggy the telephone number for a place she actually was staying?  Had she really expected Peggy to get in touch with her?  Was she supposed to have found the envelope and rung her hours earlier?

Not that it mattered now… by now Lake was surely long-gone.  If she’d heard that they’d found the real Agent Russel, she’d probably left the country. The only way they’d find her now was an incredible stroke of luck, and Peggy knew better than to hope for that.

Two days after searching Lake’s apartment, however, Peggy got one.

She arrived at work, and Agent Sato immediately stood up. “Carter!” he called out.  “The Chief wants to see you in his office.”

Brilliant, Peggy thought… absolutely tremendous. What more could be added to this palaver?  “Thank you, Sato, I’ll be right there.”

She set her purse on her desk and her briefcase beside it, and went and knocked on Daniel’s door.

At this point she would have thought nothing could surprise her anymore, but it was a genuine shock when Daniel answered with a smile on his face.  “Good news, Peg,” he said.

“What, really?” she asked.

“We have a sighting!”  He let her in.  “I got a call from the New York office – a man saw the poster of Miss Lake and recognized it.  He says she was a stewardess on his flight from Chicago yesterday.”

It sounded too good to be true but damned if Peggy wouldn’t take it.  “From Chicago to where?”

“New York City,” Daniel said.

Peggy paused.  “Does that mean Dottie’s in New York?”

“That’s what Thompson thinks.  He’s asked for you.”

That was a second surprise.  “Thompson asked for me?” Peggy said, not sure she’d heard right. Jack Thompson considered Peggy a humiliation waiting to happen… whenever he thought he was onto something big his first reaction was to push her out of the way so she couldn’t get involved. That was how she’d ended up in Los Angeles in the first place and she doubted anybody had ever been happier to sign transfer papers than he.  Now he wanted her help?

“He said to tell you that you’re the expert on these Russian girls.  Also that he’s still sore, and his wife doesn’t think he should be back to work at all yet,” said Daniel.  “What he told me is that we know Miss Underwood considers you a personal rival, and…”

“And he wants to use me as bait,” Peggy finished for him.  Now, that sounded more like Thompson.  “Well, you be sure to tell him he can call upon my expertise anytime. Do you have my ticket?”

“It’s waiting for you at the airport,” Daniel replied.

“I’ll pack a bag and be on my way,” she promised.

Daniel nodded.  “When I came in today, I was thinking it had been a while since we had a date and with all that’s going on it might help you relax.”

“I’ll take a rain check,” Peggy promised, and kissed him quickly before hurrying out.  In the door, however, she hesitated.  “Has anyone heard from Agent Russel?”

“No,” said Daniel.  “We assumed he’d been taken off the case.”

“So did he,” Peggy replied.

It had only been a couple of weeks since Peggy’s formal transfer to the West Coast had gone through… she had certainly not expected she’d be heading back to New York so soon after finally clearing her things out of Howard’s house.  Angie would be happy to see her, and perhaps they’d be able to have lunch together…

But mostly what consumed her thoughts as the propellers roared into takeoff was the question of why Lake would have gone to New York.

Of course, the fact that she’d been on the flight didn’t necessarily mean that was her destination.  She could have been on her way to Canada, or Europe, or just about anywhere except Australia, really.  Unless she thought her quarry were there, there wasn’t much reason for her to stop in New York City.  That was clearly Thompson’s theory, but if he were wrong they might ultimate accomplish nothing.

Was there another reason for her to go to New York? What was in New York that the Soviets might be interested in, besides the SSR itself?

The answer came to her, and she sat up straight. “Fenhoff!”

The man in the seat next to her, who’d been snoozing with a newspaper over his head, twitched.  “Gezundheit,” he muttered before settling down again.

Of course, Peggy thought… Fenhoff was the one who’d hired Dottie under false pretenses.  He was a major part of the reason why the Americans even knew the Russian women were operatives.  He’d done irreparable harm to their national security for the sake of a personal grudge.  It was supposed to be a secret where he was being held, but that didn’t mean it actually was.  He was in Sing Sing, just up the Hudson River from New York City.  If anything, they had even more reason to want him dead than they did Dottie.  They would never have lost control of her if not for him.

She checked her watch.  Still over an hour until their next landing, when she’d be able to telephone Daniel and tell him.

Her layover was brief, but she did just barely have time to find a pay phone and pass her theory on to Daniel.  He promised to pass it on to Thompson and she got back on the plane feeling much less antsy.  Not that she felt any great love for Fenhoff himself, but the government wanted to keep him alive, and if it helped her catch Lake and Dottie, well… maybe Thompson had the right idea.  Bait.

When the plane finally landed in New York, the SSR had a car there waiting for Peggy.  She tossed her suitcase in the back and climbed in – Thompson was in the back seat.  Peggy took the place next to him and said, “Fenhoff.”

“Sousa already called me,” Thompson assured her. “We’re arranging to beef up security around the place but we’re not gonna make a show of it.  We don’t want to tip Lake off.”

Peggy nodded – it was nice to be taken seriously, although she had to wonder whether Daniel had mentioned it was Peggy’s idea. As the car pulled away to drive to her hotel, she couldn’t resist a dig.  “Well, Miss Underwood may not be in town, but it’s lucky I’m still the expert.”

“You can think like they do,” said Thompson, as if agreeing with her.  “That’s what we need right now.”

Thompson had never been shy about the belief that women were basically illogical creatures.  He would never even try to get into one’s head.  “You mean I’m… underhanded and duplicitous?” Peggy asked innocently.

“You’ve fooled all of us more than once,” Thompson pointed out.

He did have a point there.  Peggy decided to consider it a compliment.  “How’s your war wound?” she asked, referring to the time Thompson had been shot in a hotel room.

Thompson grimaced.  “Sally’s still treating me like an invalid.  She thinks this would be a great time for me to get an office job. Something where I don’t get shot at.”

“I hope you told her the SSR would be lost without you,” said Peggy.

He gave her a sideways look.  “Was that sarcasm, Carter?”

“Of course not!”  Peggy changed the subject.  “I assume somebody has already called and checked with Sing Sing?”

“Fenhoff’s still in his cell and very much alive,” Thompson replied.  “We also interviewed some of the other passengers and crew from the flight.”

“And?”

“They all agree that the sketch from Russel’s description looks like the stewardess.  The pilot told me one of the girls who was supposed to be working the flight got a call from the police in her hometown to say her husband had been arrested, so this other lady took her shift.  None of them had ever seen her before but they didn’t care as long as she did the job.”

“None of them will ever see her again, I’m sure,” Peggy said.  “Any sightings of Dottie?”

“None that we know of.”

“I see.”  So unless she really were on her way somewhere else, Fenhoff was the only reason Peggy knew of for Lake to be in New York.  The next few nights were going to be a series of long, tired, boring stake-outs, but it wasn’t as if Peggy would have been sleeping anyway.

Once she was settled into her hotel room, Peggy made a couple more telephone calls.  One was to Angie, to let her know she was in town and that the two of them could get together and catch up once she knew her schedule better.  Then she did her best to catch a few hours of sleep, knowing full well she’d be up the entire night.

This went better than she’d expected – rather than rolling around squirming as she thought of the missed opportunities, she nodded off quickly and napped for a couple of hours, waking up groggy but at least having had the rest.  It must be because she felt as if they were getting somewhere, she thought.  The idea that Lake would be after Fenhoff was only a theory at this point, but it was a good theory, one that allowed her to take some action.  She combed her hair and got dressed in practical trousers with her holster under her jacket, and met the car that would be taking her up to Sing Sing.

“You owe me one, Marge,” said Thompson, as Peggy climbed into another car with him.  “The prison’s only got a few girls working for them, mostly nurses and laundry, but they’ve sent them all home until further notice so this Kay can’t slip in among them.  They didn’t even want you there but I convinced them we needed you.”

“I’ll remember that,” Peggy promised.

“We’ll have men at all the exits,” Thompson went on, “but I’m gonna put you right next to Fenhoff’s cell.  Should be no way she can get that far.”

“Should be.”  But if she did, Peggy thought, Miss Lake was going to find herself with quite a bit of explaining to do.  Hopefully before turning her over to the men, Peggy could get an opportunity to ask about those bloody numbers.

[lo-55]

Shattered Chains of Fate Ch. 2

Through a misunderstanding and a poorly read application, Ichigo Kurosaki gets a chance internship at the Chaldeas Security Organization. It changes everything. 

 May. It’s May already, and Ichigo has made it approximately a month and a half without getting himself into some batshit insane situation where he almost dies.

 Then Rukia Kuchiki comes along and all of a sudden he’s not a wizard he’d a fucking Shinigami. Which is cool, and a lot easier if he’s being honest, and the world itself isn’t at stake this time so.

 Cool. Cool cool cool.    

 It does mean that Rukia, stubborn and snappish and almost as brash as he was, will be sleeping in his closet for the foreseeable future.

 At fifteen Ichigo would have flipped out about it. At eighteen he’s spent months at a time bunking down with Mash and whatever other servants there were. Everyone from Asterios to Medusa to Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, crammed together in a tent or settled around campfires.

 So he snatches his sisters pajamas and lends them to her and their life begins.

 And it would be fine, really, he doesn’t mind fighting. He likes fighting by himself than having to rely on the others to do it for him. It eases the bitterness of weakness that’s been festering in his heart for years. So it would be      fine, really    , if it weren’t for the fact that all of these hollows that he’s fighting have started to target his friends, too. They’re not even safe at school.

 Orihime was attacked by her own brother and it makes him sick. How could someone attack their own sister? Even warped and twisted?

 It was worse than Mordred and Artoria. At least they had always had a strained relationship, but Orihime’s brother had      loved    her.

 He sat with her after the fact, his hand on her shoulder while he slept against his leg. Rukia had erased her memory, and his families too. He didn’t like it.

 “Everyone has the right to choose their life. And to remember themselves,” he told her solemnly. “It’s how humans grow and change. It’s how we get stronger. These bonds that we make with other people, and even the ones that we break…”

 Rukie eyed him speculatively. “I never would have pegged you for a philosopher, Ichigo.”

 “I’m not.” But he’s got his ideals, and Ichigo is unbending. War has tempered his spine from bone to steel. Idly, he braids a long strand of Orihime’s hair while Rukia is busy changing Tatsuki’s memories. Maybe it will be easier for them not to remember this, but Ichigo will not take back what he said.

 So many friends have forgotten him, so many have never met him to begin with and only his memories live on of their time together. He really hates this…

 But Rukia is his guide in this case, and there’s nothing he can do for now. “This is how it has to be, Ichigo. There is no other choice,” she says firmly, like it’s an absolute truth.  “This is the life of a shinigami.”

 Ichigo lets Orihime’s hair fall into place and lays her on the floor before he stands and turns to Rukia.

 “      Chacun voit midi à sa porte,”    he says it mostly to himself, but it bewilders Rukia.

 “What?”

 “It’s nothing,” he shakes his head. “Let’s go.

 *

 Ichigo has never been out of the country before he’d signed up for an internship at Chaldea. It was supposed to be two weeks studying with the security organization, and the poster at the bus station by his house hadn’t said anything about mages, or time travel, or masters or servents. Di Vinci tells him later that its spelled so only mages or people with potential to be mages can even see it.

 He shouldn’t have seen it to begin with, totally untrained as he was, but somehow he did. Because he did have magic circuits, even if they weren’t used often or much. So hed loaded onto a plane with a half a dozen other master candidates from all around japan. His dad had agreed, all to easily. And now he stood in a breakroom with Romani and Mash, and Medusa and Cu and Olga Marie all standing around him.

 “I don’t get it,” Medusa says, eying the phantom speculatively. “If she’s dead, how is she here?”

 Ichigo shrugs. “ I have no clue. I’ve always been able to see ghosts but I don’t know anything about them.”

 “H-hey what do you mean by that?” Roman asks, turning towards him. “You can see dead people?!”

 “Well, yeah,” Ichigo sort of shrugs. “That’s not the weirdest thing happening here, ya know.”

 Roman can’t really argue with that.

 “Isn’t it obvious?” Olga Marie crosses her arms over her chest, looking down at the two gingers in front of her. Ichigo, sat on a couch, and Roman next to him. They both look at her, clueless until she rolls her eyes in aggravation.

 “It’s just like what happened with Mash. When the bomb exploded and I-” she falters, her yellow eyes darting around before she gets herself under control. “After the explosion, I found the two of them. At the same time Mash formed her contract with him, I must have done something similar. There’s two types of energy,” she goes on. “The energy of the physical world, Mana, and the energy of the soul. Reitsu. Just as Caster, Rider, and Mash are drawing on his Mana as servants, I am now bound to his Reitsu as a soul-based familiar.”

 “Such a thing is unprecedented,” Roman argued, looking somewhere between stunned and frightened. They were all standing on that blade right now. The world had ended and they, a group nowhere near qualified to save it, were now in charge of stopping it.

 “Ah, nae as much as you’d think,” Cu said, his voice lilting and accented. “My teacher, Scáthach, she ‘ad shades an’ such.”

 “The queen of the shadow lands?” Mash clarified, which meant nothing at all to Ichigo. Cu nodded. “It would make sense for her to have such things…”

 “Ah, does that make the director Ichigo’s servant now too?” Roman asked.

 Olga Marie bristled. “I’m no ones servant! I’m still the director here so you better show me proper respect!”

 Ichigo couldn’t help snickering at her. “Man, you’re so full of yourself.”

 “What did you just say?!”

 “Are you dead and deaf? I said you’re full of yourself,” he grabbed her cheek and pulled it until she shrieked and lashed out at him, beating her fists against his chest. Mash did her best to cover her laughter in the background, hands over her mouth.

 “Even still,” Roman stepped between them, carefully extracting Ichigo from Olga Marie’s fury, “This doesn’t explain everything. When someone ray shifts, it’s their spirit that manifests in the location, while their physical body stays in chaldea. So how can two different energies both manifest like that? I don’t understand…”

 Olga Marie puffed her cheeks out. “The answer to that is much more technical. Even though it’s the spirit that is sent back it's still a physical body that a mage has when they interact with the time period around them. It is… a reversal of the third magic, so to speak. The opposite and the twin of Heaven’s Feel, it is your spirit and your soul and your life, but your body is left behind while Ray Shifting.”

 This must have made sense to Roman, but Ichigo was, to put it mildly, completely lost.

 “What’s the third magic, what’s ‘heavens feel’, and what’s ray shifting?” Ichigo asked. Olga Marie face planted, and started cursing his very existence.

 * *

 “I must say, I didn’t expect you to be this good with a sword already,” Rukia admits, watching Ichigo snap the practice sword around, knocking aside each tennis ball she sends shooting at him through the pitching machine.

 Ichigo stands, light on his feet with a sword roughly the size of a claymore. It was heavy and the reach was long but awkward. He’s used to holding broad swords, mimicries of clarent and excalibur while his Saber’s try to beat their lessons between his ears. It feels strange to hold something so long and so heavy. More than that, it feels like something is missing. Like the sword is a couple inches too short, like it doesn’t fit his hands quite right.

 He has to remind himself that it isn’t his sword at all. This power is Rukia’s, not his own. Was this how Mash felt, their whole time together? Borrowing another person’s power to boost your own. It made his skin crawl minutely.

 “I've been in a few fights,” Ichigo says, looking towards her with a shrug of his shoulder. “I’ve got friends who are in the kendo club.” He works mostly off of instinct. He always has, and it hasn’t failed him yet. He blocks each tennis ball, and those he can’t block he dodges swiftly, until Rukia finally calls it a day.

 “You should get some rest while you can,” she advises. “We’ll be out tonight hunting hollows, no doubt, and you still have school work to do, don’t you?”

 “Well yeah, but school feels so unimportant now…” It has since he’d gotten back. What was a test in the face of someone trying to blow up the whole of human history?

 Rukia smacks him hard over the head, until he yelps in offense.

 “Hey!” He rubbed the bump on his head, glaring balefully at the short shinigami. Rukia is, of course, utterly unaffected by it.

 “School is important! You have a life to get back to after I get my powers back, and you need your grades to do it!”

 “Geez, you’re so rough… And fine,  but you’re gonna help me study for friday. You have to take tests too.”

 Rukia looks startled, but she nods all the same, and they walk home together. Ichigo considers telling his dad what’s happening. There’s a strange girl in the house, and Ichigo is putting himself in pretty serious danger lately, but it barely makes a difference if he does. What will Isshin even do? He can not stop them from fighting, and he cannot help them in this fight. He can’t even see spirits.

 These kind of things, he understood, were hereditary. Being a medium, and being a mage both were things that were handed down from parent to child, though they were kept largely separate. Mages dealt in living energy, and usually had little to no spirit energy, and vice versa. He could see spirits, and so could Karin, and even Yuzu could sense their presence from time to time. Yet despite all three children being sensitive to the supernatural, Isshin had no idea.

 Which meant, more likely than not, his mom had been able to see them too.

 She’d never said anything about it, but Ichigo had been so young, where would she even start?

 And now, there was no way for them to find out. Ichigo has questions, but no one has answers.

 “What are you thinking of?”

 He startles, looking down at Rukia. He’d been so caught up in his own thoughts, he’d almost missed the house entirely.

 “I was thinking about my mom,” he admitted. “I was wondering if she could see ghosts like me and Karin can.”

 “Your mother?” Rukia repeated. She touched her chin in thought. “I suppose it’s not unheard of. There used to be quite a few humans who could see spirits. Some could even utilize enough reiryoku to actually combat hollows. But those died out some time ago.”

 “Oh yeah?” Ichigo leads her inside. His sisters were out somewhere, and his dad was upstairs in his room, down the hall from Ichigo’s. They jog up the stairs together, Ichigo’s back thumping hard against his back.

 “Yes. They were called Quincy. They could manifest reitsu into weapons to battle hollows with. But unlike shinigami, they didn’t purify the souls. They destroyed them.”

 “Thats kind of fucked up.”

   * * *  

 Ichigo still can’t tell if he’s here as a spirit or as a physical body, but it’s his living energy, his mana, that Mash is feeding off of when they start their first fight with the locals in domremy. They’re only human, so Ichigo fights too, and runs at Mash’s side when they chase the French soldiers back to their fort.

 It’s there that the monsters attack and Ichigo gets his very first look at a saint.

 She’s barely older than he is, fierce and terrible and humble all at once. She leads with utmost confidence and does not falter, even in the face of terrible odds. She’s… weak, for a servant. Far too weak.

 There is something very wrong with france.

 Ichigo is broken from his thoughts by Roman coming over his wrist communicator.

 “All right, fine job everyone! I was watching with sweaty palms and sweets in my hand! The director is tending to other matters right now, so I’m in the command chair again!”

 “Doctor,” Mash began, looking towards his hologram. “Those were the sweets that I got, right?”

 “Huh? What? ls that right? I found them in the Command Room next to the tea, so I thought…”

 “...I got them as a token of gratitude, for when we return from this Order,” Mash was actually starting to look irritated for the first time since they’d met.  “  Needless to say, they weren't for you, but for Senpai, who no doubt fought bravely on the frontlines!”

 “Mash... you've become such a thoughtful person!” Roman smiled proudly at her and, shamelessly, shoved the rest of the candy into his mouth. “I must say, these are some really tasty sweets. I'm sure Ichigo will be thrilled, too!”

Mash turns towards Ichigo, her mouth drawn in a line. “...Master. When we return to Chaldea, please reserve enough combat resources for one attack. I've registered one more enemy that I'd like to hit with the "back of my blade.".” Which was apparently something a shield had.

 “You’re more violent than I thought you were…”

 Then someone was screaming a ‘dragon witch’, and they retreated again, to the forests outside of vaucouleurs. It takes a while to get their bearings, but Ichigo understands. There’s two Jeanne d’arc’s. The saint that stands before them and a witch that is trying to destroy france. That’s what’s causing the world to fall apart here. So that’s who they have to stop. Only…

 She’s about a hundred times stronger than they are, and she has an army of dragons, and dragon themed servants with her. By the end of the second day Ichigo finds himself with a saint, a queen, a musician, a pop star, and a dragon all following him around like puppies.

 At night he finds himself sitting by the fire, with Jeanne, Ruler, sitting across from him. Kiyohime, a princess out of a story he’d read ages ago is curled up on his lap like a cat instead of a dragon. Her horn pokes at his hip irritatingly, and on his other side Mash has fallen asleep as well.

 He should be more worried about the fact that she’s somehow convinced herself that he’d Anchin, considering the fact that she burned him alive in a bell tower, but thus far all she’s really done is hold onto him a little too tight.

 Jeanne is looking at him too. There’s something about her, a charisma that makes Ichigo want to follow her off a cliff. And he probably would, if he wasn’t so damn stubborn himself.

 “Yeah?” he asks, breaking the silence. “What, is there something on my face?”

 “Oh!” Jeanne turns away, shaking her head. Her strange headpiece glints read in the firelight. “No, it’s only that you seem very close to her.”

 “Who, Kiyo? We just met. She’s the one that latched onto me.”

 “No, not her. Mash.”

 Ichigo looks again at the girl sleeping on his other side. She looks older as a demi-servant, someone halfway possessed by a heroic spirit, but her face is the same. She’s still filled with wonder and innocence.

 “Oh yeah. Well, I’ve got two little sisters at home. Mash reminds me of the youngest one. Yuzu. They even have the same hairstyle…”

 “That explains it, then,” Jeanne’s smile is soft. “I’m the youngest. I had three brothes, and my sister as well. I imagine they’re still in Domremy. Although my two oldest brothers came to fight under my flag, so they might be travelling still.”

 Ichigo tried to think of that. Tried to think of letting anyone in his family get even close to a battlefield and found himself shaking his head. “I couldn't do that. I want to protect my sisters. I wouldn’t be able to put them in danger.”

 Jeanne peered at him over the fire, her smile still somehow serene. It must have to do with being a saint.

 “I wished to protect them too, of course. They are my brothers, and war is a bloody, gruesome hell to walk into. But sometimes we must have faith. In the Lord to guide us, and in the people around us to stand at our sides and watch over us.”

 “Didn’t your people, ya know, burn you alive?”

 “Yes,” she allows, tilting her head towards the sky. “But still… I hold them no ill will.”

 Ichigo decides, then and there, that Saints must be insane.

 The first person they lose, the first person he loses in these wars, is Marie Antoinette. She dies to protect him, and the stinging, bitter taste almost makes him claw out his tongue.

   * * * *  

 “Do you know where you are?”

 Soft fingers run through his hair. Something tickles his nose and he’s assaulted by the smell of roses and daffodils.

 “I’m in a dream,” Ichigo says, huffing irritably. His eyes open slowly, and he finds a deceptively soft smile hovering above him. Ichigo would believe it, if he didn’t know him better. As it is, he tugs at a long strand of off-white hair that falls across the man’s shoulder.

 “Ouch. You’re right, this is a dream. However did you guess? I thought it was a rather good one…”

 Ichigo rolls his eyes at the Caster. He can see his staff, wrapped in ribbons, stuck into the earth beside them. This man was always dramatic.

 “There’s nowhere else I would see you, now is there?” He sits up slowly. His companion doesn’t move back, and in a minute they’re hip to hip, facing eachother.

 “Ah, That is true. You never know, I am a rather famous mage. Mayhaps I teleported you here for my own amusement.”

 “That does sound like you,” Ichigo allows. He paused, squinting. “Did you just say ‘mayhaps’?”

 “You don’t like it? I thought it was eloquent.”

 “Stop acting so weird,” Ichigo scolded, knocking their heads together lightly. “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen you.”

 “On the contrary, it's been over 4,500 years.”

 “You never change,” Ichigo rolls his eyes, and his visitor smiles, soft and fake.

 “Perhaps I don’t. One of the aspects of immortality is that people tend to stay the same, you know,” he teases.

 “I don’t, but I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Ichigo figures it’s easier than trying to fully puzzle out the man. He’s always been bewildering, ‘beyond human comprehension’ or something. Ichigo isn’t totally human anymore now. He sits, dressed in black next to his companion cloaked in white.

 “I thought you were supposed to disappear from my memory,” Ichigo says abruptly. He’s not sure what kind of explanation he’s looking for.

 A shrug is what he gets. “I told you once. That’s one thing I can never get used to. Perhaps it just didn’t work this time.”

 “Right,” Ichigo says dubiously, “it’s got nothing to do with us being friends. “

 The mage says nothing, but his smile thins at the edges. He’s still on about it then. ‘I can never truly close the gap, and be friends with a human’. It’s bullshit, because they’re friends and ichigo knows it, and so does he. He’s just stubborn and stuck on the idea of being the mysterious wise man figure in Ichigo’s ever evolving life story.

 “Where are we?” Ichigo asks, letting the tension drop for now. The sky is the palest blue and there’s flowers as far as the eye can see, pink and blue and yellow. There’s no horizon any way he looks, and he realizes belatedly that they’re sitting on top of a tower.

 “Isn’t it obvious? We are on the reverse side of the world. Where there is no beginning and no end, this is the very edge of paradise.”

 The air tasted like sunlight and hope, but Ichigo isn’t fooled by the prettiness of it all. He knows this man. Better than he wants to be known, certainly.

 “Maybe someday I’ll save you from this tower,      princess    .”

 “That is quite impossible,” still a  warm hand lands on his, a strange kind of thanks.

 “I’ve done impossible things before.”

 And he would do them again.

 * * * *

 Ichigo was starting to think that everyone here was made of tragedy.

 France was bad enough. Between executions, and curses, and people just doing their best for others, Ichigo is starting to wonder how any fairy tale ever had a happy ending, for the figures of myth certainly had none. Not Jeanne, the Saint of Orleans. Not Elizabeth Batharoy, the wannabe pop star and future vampire. Not Kiyohime, who had followed him all the way back to Chaldea and now was stuck waiting for them to return.

 And now, Euryale, and Asterios were the same. They were hardly the monsters out of legend. They were just people. Just people clinging to each other, like wreckage in a storm.

 Ichigo leans forwards against the railing of the      Golden Hind    , watching the moon dance across the water. They’re pretty screwed, he realizes. Heracles has to be killed twelve times for them to succeed, and they’d almost all been killed on just the first try.   They’d only escaped because a labyrinth had sprung up out of nowhere, glowing green and winding their way to the center of safety.

 The heafy thump of footsteps on ship wood brings his attention to his newest servant. Asterios. He towers over all of them, almost ten feet tall if you counted his horns. He should have been terrifying, all hard muscles and hulking power. His long hair is matted like it’s never been brushed out properly, and his eyes are a red that seemed to glow in the starlight.

 “Hey there,” Ichigo waves at him, and he comes to a halt at his side. He looks at him, and shifts from one foot to the other. There’s manacles on his arms, and his ankles as well. “Why don’t you sit?”

 Asterios did as he was bid. When he was sitting, he still came up to Ichigo’s shoulder.

 “It’s a nice night, huh?” It was peaceful, sailing on the endless sea. They have a lot of fights ahead of them but for now… He breaths in the sea salt air, and the cool darkness.

 “Yes… It is…      free    ,” Asterios speaks slowly, like making words is a chore. Has he ever really spoken to humans, before now?

 “Yeah. I guess it is,” that’s what Francis had said. The seas were freedom for her and her men. The King of Storms, the endless oceans bowed to her and the       Golden Hind    .  “Have you been here long, Asterios?”

 He perks up when he hears his name, looking up at Ichigo with the strangest expression. Ichigo has no idea how to place it. Hope? Happiness? Either way he’s smiling now.

 “No… Want to … stay… with euryale and… everyone.”

 “I get it,” Ichigo nods to him. “It’s nice to hang out with friends.”

 “Friends…”

 “That’s what we are, right?”

 Asterios smiles at him, and nods. “Yes… friends.”

 * * * * *

 “Honestly… I thought you were supposed to be helpful,” Ichigo knocks on his own bodies skull, watching his dopple ganger wince away from him. “But all you’ve done is get my body torn up and cause a mess. You’re screwing up my ‘cool guy’ reputation!”

 “Hey! It’s not my fault, I wouldn’t have jumped in if you weren’t so slow! Those kids would have died if I hadn’t jumped in!”

 “Oh yeah, and you kicking that hollow again, to protect ants, what are you a saint?!” Ichigo yanks him into a headlock, roughly shoving his fist into his hair. It was weird to be fighting with himself, but honestly? Not even remotely the weirdest thing to happen.

 “Get off!” The mod soul tries to kick him in the face, but Ichigo takes him to the ground in a rough grappling hold. He’s not too worried about his shoulder. His body is strong enough to handle being roughed up, and he’s taken worse hits than that.

 “Let me go! I’m not gonna let you kill me but-” His voice wavers before growing vicious with conviction.

 “I’ll never sit by and let another creature die!”

 Ichigo is so surprised he lets go, sitting above the trouble maker. He won’t make eye contact, his voice dropping low and rough. His hands are shaking, Ichigo realizes.

 “Right after I was born, the soul society they- they decided that the mod-souls had to go. The day after I was born I was chosen to die! Everyday I watched them kill off my brethren. And even after I escaped I still lived in fear, everyday that I would be discovered and killed… And I decided. That I was born, so I have the right to live and die freely, and so does everything else! So I won’t kill and I won’t let even ants die!”

 This mod soul. A creature made to fight, made to die, made to kill all without a single choice. Ichigo’s hands tighten into fists. Just like Mash. Just like Fran. Just like Mordred. A living weapon. Ichigo lets him sit up, and sits back on his heels. The mod soul grips his shoulder, grimacing. It must hurt. This is the first time he’s ever felt human sensations. He was fast, fast as the wind.

 “So that’s it…”

 Abruptly, the tip of a cane shoves straight through his skull, and the pill that had started this whole debacle comes popping out the other side. Ichigo reacts, snatching it out of the air before anyone else can. They’re not alone anymore.

 Ichigo finds himself looking up at a pair of grey eyes half hidden under the brim of a striped hat. They’re looking right at him, even though he’s no longer in his body. He knows, with great certainty, that this man is not human.

 “I’ll be taking that back now,” he says, holding his hand out expectantly. He looks almost harmless. Almost. But Ichigo can see the calluses on his hands and the hardness in the back of his eyes. Whoever this is, he’s a fighter. Even with the geta sandals, he hadn’t made a sound when he was approaching.

 “Hell no!” Ichigo clutches the pill tighter and straightens up. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

 “He’s just a greedy salesmen,” Rukia comes to stand at his shoulder, her eyes narrowed at the stranger with the unsettling eyes. She'd watched the whole exchange between them, between Ichigo and yet another tragedy.

 “I get it. He’s the one who sells you your supplies here, isn’t he?” Ichigo stands, slowly, keeping his hold on the pill tight. This guy had made a mix up, and if he thought Ichigo was gonna let him take this mod soul away, he had another thing coming.

 “My, my, you’re a perceptive one,” the man pulled a fan out of his sleeve and snapped it open over his mouth. “I’m Kisuke Urahara. And these are my associates.”

 “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out,” Ichigo said blandly. “She said you're a salesmen, and she has to get her gadgets from somewhere.”

 “Either way, I should take that product back. If it’s compensation you’re after-”

 “I already said no!” Ichigo snapped, anger rolling under his skin like a fire. “People aren’t products and I’m not giving this one back to you!”

 “Ichigo,” Rukia cut in, her voice cool and firm. It's ice on a bruise and Ichigo let's her step before him, her dark eyes on the salesman. “It’s fine. I’m satisfied with this purchase, and you don’t exactly work legally. So whatever happens, it’s not your responsibility anymore.”

 Even though he remains largely impassive, this Kisuke guy still stares at them, trying to read between lines that don’t exist. Ichigo is honest, and Rukia has his back in this case.

 So he and his associates leave, and Ichigo pops the soul back into his body once their gone. He finds brown eyes staring up at him, his mouth open in confusion.

 “You didn’t… send me back?”

 Ichigo knocks his head again. “Don’t be stupid. If you give me a dumb speech like that, how can I sit by while you get smashed up?”

 “I - you’re kinda crazy.”

 “I know,” he had to be. “So, do you have a name?”

 “A name? No, no ones ever given me one of those…”

 “Alright then,” Ichigo tilts his head, thinking. A mod soul, a kaizo konpaku… He could go with Kai. But that sounded too cool. He was wind fast, and if he remembered right the inca wind was called… “Kon. You’re in charge of my body while I fight hollows. You can explore, and try new things, but don’t go destroying property or getting peoples attention. Or hurting my body! Deal?”

 He held out his hand, and Kon reaches up and grasps it.

 “Deal.”

[random-imagines-blog]

Still A Stranger {Shadow Moon x Reader Oneshot}

Requested by: @ateliefloresdaprimavera​ Wordcount: 3137 Summary: You, as Shadow’s soulmate, are always going to be a threat to Mr. Wednesday. He tries to break that bond, but a tricky tech-boy has a way of trying to get you two re-connected. Warnings: Swearing.

Shadow could not understand the pull that he had towards you since the day that he had met you. When he had first linked eyes with you, he thought that perhaps he had finally find a place in this world. And then he mentally cursed himself because he had a place in this world - and it was with his wife, Laura Moon. No matter how uncomfortable the attraction, he kept coming around to where you worked, forming up a friendship. He never felt like you were just trying to make him happy, the way he sometimes felt about Laura. He felt an honest-to-God connection but it was too late for the both of you. He believed fully in marriage, and didn’t believe in divorce. He had made a vow to Laura, and he wasn’t going to break it, no matter how often it felt like the Universe was trying to push him into doing it. Even when you came to the prison, dressed in old t-shirts and comfortable pants rather than trying to dress up, because you were in such a hurry for your every other weekend meetings.

And he absolutely hated that, as soon as he had heard the news that his wife had died, just days before his release, his first thought was of you. He thought of how you might dress for the funeral, in a black dress with matching heels which might sink into the grass of the graveyard. He thought of you crying, and that hurt his heart more than learning about Laura’s death. A car accident, they said. Not much detail about it. It could have happened to anyone. It could have happened to you.

You look just as predicted at the funeral, and you were the only one to leave the procession and find Shadow, who was hanging back in the trees as she was being buried. You held him as he sobbed, but once again, he was thinking about what if it had been you, rather than what had actually happened. ‘Laura was so young, but so was Shadow, and he can find a way to rebuild his life.’ He didn’t mention that he had already taken a job offer from a certain Mr. Wednesday, because he didn’t trust himself around you. And you were the only reason to stay in this small piece of shit town.

Wednesday watched your interaction with Shadow, using his good eye to stare. His deep-set wrinkles made him look more serious, which he was. He wasn’t going to be smiling anytime soon. He saw you as an instant threat to the whole operation, and had to think of how he was going to solve this little ‘soulmate’ problem.

-

You offered to go with Shadow wherever it was that he wanted to go. You felt that instant connection as well. Just being around him made your heart beat quicker and quicker. But you never acted on anything because you respected his relationship with Laura. And you had even liked Laura, and tried to be her friend, though she was not always the easiest person to get on with.

But Shadow had told you that you couldn’t go with him. He didn’t know if this job was going to be dangerous, but it felt as if it would be. He was being a body guard for a really strange man who seemed to have all sorts of connections. Mob, mafia, he didn’t know. But he wasn’t going to be pulling you into it. So you had to let him leave, watching as he got into the car, into the driver’s seat, with some old man in the back and took off. You had put a hand up to the window, pleading with him mentally to come back. Something about this felt horribly, horribly wrong.

That feeling didn’t go away when there was a knock at your door, and a tall red-haired man was at your door. He looked you up and down, and you pulled the front of your cardigan closer to you, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. “Can I help you?” You asked politely, because you had been taught not to be rude to strangers unless they are rude to you. The way this man was checking you out was bordering on that.

“Shadow sent me,” He said, stepping inside of your house and looking around at your furnishings. He was so large, you didn’t have much choice but to step back and let him in. “Suppose to help you pack your bags or summin. Take you to him.”

He had a thick Irish accent, you noticed. Not something that you heard often around these parts. “Can you prove it?” You asked, not trusting in him upon first meeting. He had shifty eyes, kept looking around, almost like someone going through withdrawal.

“How would I ‘ave found you otherwise? You drive, I’ll guide.”

And that was how you found yourself driving down the highway with a giant Irishman, who claimed to be a leprechaun but he also seemed drunk so you didn’t take much he was saying seriously, shouting our directions ever once in a while. You had a bag packed, haphazardly packed but it was full nonetheless, with clothes and little else. There wasn’t anything else that you thought you might need. Shadow was just about it.

“Room 174, sweetheart,” Sweeney said, tossing you a key when you pulled into the parking lot of a motel. At least the car that you had seen Shadow driving off in was here. That made this seem just a little bit sketchy. You got out of the car, and Sweeney got out on his side, but immediately started to walk away, probably towards the nearest bar. You watched his back as he crossed the street, swearing at something. Birds, looked like. Then your eyes turned towards the motel itself. A few of the rooms were occupied, including 174. There was a light shining behind the closed curtains. Beckoning you, you hoped. You slid the key into the lock, and it went in smooth. You turned it, and the door opened with barely a touch.

“Shadow, are you in here?” You asked, pushing the door forward to reveal the interior of the room. It seemed like a typical seedy motel, with cheap wooden furniture, a small television and a bed with two people fucking on it. You gasped, mainly in surprise, at what you were seeing. It wasn’t just Shadow on the bed that had made you feel so shocked, it was the fact that his dead ex wife was in the bed with him. And she wasn’t dead. From the way that she was moving, she looked very much alive. “Oh - oh God.”

“Y/N?” Shadow said, rolling off of his wife and pulled a blanket up to cover himself up.

“This is what you wanted me to see? That she’s alive? A call would have done and Laura - we buried you. What is ... I saw you in the coffin.” Your mind felt like it was collapsing in itself. You stepped out of the room, back onto the sidewalk and to the parking lot. You left the key in the lock but you had your car keys in your hand. Shadow came out of the room, with just the sheet wrapped around his groin. “No - go back in there, Shadow. I - I can’t deal with all of this.”

“Y/N, come on,” Shadow said, pausing. “How did you know we were here?”

“A giant fuckin leprechaun told me, that’s why!” You shouted, never thinking that you would put those words together. “Told me that you wanted me to come with you. And here I thought... I thought...” Your lower lip quivered against your will. You ran back towards your car, and fiddled with the lock, trying to get in as fast as you could. Shadow continued to stand in the doorway of the motel room, not making another move towards you. That alone told you a lot. He preferred his dead wife over you, and you couldn’t even blame him. If it was really her, Laura had come back to life and that was a miracle! You couldn’t fault him for a second.

You drove past without looking back at him, because it would hurt far too much. Which meant that you also didn’t notice another door being open, and the old man standing in that doorway, watching you leave with an amused smile on his face.

-

Something felt missing from your life, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on what it was. You felt like you were forgetting something. Every time you saw a cute couple walking down the street, or a romantic movie, or even just two best friend bickering over bowling scores, you felt an absence. A sick feeling came over your stomach when you caught your shadow against a wall, or whenever you saw a prison on the tv. You couldn’t remember what you had forgotten, or why you had forgotten it. It was someone ... you could see a figure in your dreams sometimes. A tall male ... you didn’t know.

Of course, you had no idea that Odin, the Norse God, had tampered with your memory in order for you to forget your soulmate, so you wouldn’t get in his way.

Your life continued on as normal, though you didn’t date. No one ever felt right. You went to work, you hung out with your friends, you went to birthday dinners and enjoyed your downtime. It wasn’t a bad living, to be honest. You even joined social media as a way to record your life and to keep in contact with friends.

It was that which ended up being Mr Wednesday’s downfall.

Tech-Boy hated Shadow Moon. Thought that he was an annoying asshole, hence why he tried to have him lynched at the graveyard. He’d do just about anything to bring him down a peg. So when he came across you on social media, when he clicked your name and Shadow’s together in his mind, he started to form a plan. There might just be something that he could do to ruin Wednesday’s day after all.

-

‘House on the Rock!’ the invite notification came up on your laptop. ‘Y/N, you just won a free trip to this amazing destination, just for liking our page! Come ride our magical carousel, get your fortune told by the most reliable source, and enjoy the Infinity Room! This is not a scam, you truly won!’

You rolled your eyes but your curiosity had been piqued. Usually if something went out of it’s way to say that it isn’t a scam, that means that it is. You minimized the notification and then set about on doing some research on the place, since you never heard of it. The house on the Rock, a world famous Wisconsin attraction. It’s a complex of architecturally distinct rooms, streets, gardens, and shops.

The only reference that you found towards a fortune teller was an old machine. The kind where you drop a coin in and you get a slip of paper, like the one from the movie BIG. The most reliable source. Well - you had some sick days saved up. You might as well see if the offer was true.

It turned out that it was a true offer, and you were mailed a ticket of free admission, as well as some vouchers for the shops, golf course, and carousel. You took a few days off from work, and then decided that you would go on your own. Have a little vacation to find yourself. Maybe you would discover what you had forgotten along the way.

-

The outside was a marvel to look at. It was all that it was advertised to be - and more. Though what confused you was why there were so little visitors today. The parking lot was nearly empty. There was a car parked outside of the front and there was something that felt so damn familiar about it. You stopped beside it and looked into the back window but there was nothing inside which gave you any clues as to why. The license plate didn’t ring any bells either.

It was this sort of mystery which had drawn you out here in the first place. There was nothing left to do but carry on. Perhaps there was something inside which could help you put the pieces together.

The person who took your voucher was extremely odd looking. They were wearing an odd sort of mask that covered their features entirely. It made their face look very smooth. With a little tap dance, they opened the door for you, and gestured inside with a cane. “Oh - uh - thank you,” You said, and stepped inside. The doors closed behind you with a resounding boom. It caused you to jump. The interior felt so empty, it was spooky.

“Is anybody working today?” You called out, only for your voice to echo. What an odd day to come to this place, but it was when the voucher had specified. You walked on through, with your arms around yourself in a sort of hug. It felt like you had just walked into a SAW-type trap and any minute now, you were going to be strung up by your thumbs or something.

There were guiding arrows on the floor, which lead you to a carousel room. It was the only one that wasn’t abandoned. There were a couple of people standing around, though none of them looked like they belonged together. Old and young, different ethnicities. None of them were standing particularly close to one another. But they all turned eyes to you as you walked in.

“Who is she?” An older man with a European accent asked, looking around. No one spoke up for you, which was good because you didn’t know any of these people. A tall, dark stranger was staring at you the longest, with wide eyed as if he recognized you. You were careful not to look at him. The expression was one that brought a chill to your spine.

“Did you all win a free trip here too?” You asked, holding up your carousel voucher.

“No,” The oldest man of them all stepped forward, walking towards you. But the dark stranger took hold of his shoulder in an attempt to stop him. “Go away, you’re interrupting a private meeting.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” You said, stepping backwards in awkwardness. “I didn’t mean-”

“Y/N,” Shadow breathed out loud, making the old man stop and hang his head. You felt your breath catch in your throat.

“How do you know my name?” You questioned him, feeling suddenly defensive. The truth was, you loved the way that he said your name. Whoever this man was, you were familiar to him while he remained a stranger. “Okay, something really weird is going on. Can one of you tell me what it is? I didn’t like the stupid page in the first place, then I win a ticket to this crazy middle of nowhere place. And then there’s a faceless person there to take my ticket and now I’m having a panic attack.”

The big man stepped closer but you took a few more steps backwards. “Don’t come close to me-”

“Y/N, it’s me, it’s Shadow,” The big man said slowly. The name rolled around in your head, the way that the word always had. There were alarm bells going off throughout your body and everything felt wrong. It felt dangerous. Shadow kept walking towards you, and you stopped and went through your purse, bringing out the pepper spray that you kept in it, and pointed it upwards towards his face.

“Okay, I changed my mind. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know anything. I’m just going to leave and pretend that I was never here, okay? So don’t hurt me - I won’t say anything.”

The big one named Shadow turned around to the old man and started to shout at him, but you didn’t stick around to find out what he was saying. All you knew was that your name was being said, because it echoed off of the hallway walls as you ran down them, back towards where you had come in. You kept the pepper spray in hand, just in case one of them tried to come after you.

The fresh air alleviated some of the pressure that was going on inside of your head as you burst through the doors. The faceless gentleman that had taken your ticket had no longer been behind the counter. In fact, apart from the people in the carousel room, you hadn’t seen another soul. That just made you believe even more that you had stumbled upon something that you shouldn’t have. You fumbled for your keys in your purse as you made your way quickly to the car, unlocking it with a push of a button.

Once you were safe in the vehicle’s interior, you locked the doors and started it up. As you buckled up your seatbelt and looked out the windshield you saw the big one coming out again. Shadow. You tensed up behind the wheel, your stomach feeling like it was on a roller coaster all on it’s own, then started to reverse out of the parking lot. You left without looking back, the can of pepper spray clenched between your legs in case of emergency.

-

“What did you do?” Shadows asked, looming over Wednesday, his back straightened to his true height. “What the fuck did you do to y/n?”

“Calm down Shadow,” Wednesday said in return, his good eye shifting to the leaving car. “We’ve still got work to do here.”

“The fuck we do,” He said, charging away from the old man, taking out the keys to the car and held them between his fingers, ready to punch anyone who might try to stop them.

“Where are you going?” Wednesday asked, but no amount of threats would be able to stop the man from going towards the car.

“To do what I should have done weeks ago,” Shadow said, mainly to himself at this point as he got inside the vehicle. He could no longer see you in the rearview mirror, but he was certainly going to try his best to catch up.

[rubyzizes]

LOVESICK BLUES (SELF-PARA)

who: ruby zizes (ft. @lemonlopez​ & @bbpuck​ ) where: the choir room when: friday, nov. 13, 2020 what: ruby decides to audition for glee club (with a little help from some friends) just as taylor swift vs. dolly week comes to a close

Life post-cheerios was...kind of depressing. Nearly two weeks after her expulsion from the squad, Ruby was trying to keep a low profile for the most part. After one fucked up slushie to the face, she was in no rush to have a repeat of the situation. She had always prided herself on being a confident person—someone who rose through the ranks against all odds. It definitely knocked her down a peg to see the way she was treated without red polyester hugging her in all the right places, but this was an important lesson. After weeks of teary conversations turned into screaming matches with her parents, Ruby was done moping around. She was determined to get to the bottom of it.  

She had a three step plan. Step one was working with Bell Pepper to figure out who leaked the nudes before wiping them from the internet. That plan was already in motion. Step three, the final step, involved working with resident cool girl LJ Holliday and the rest of the angry Titans to organize some sort of protest to get back at the blatantly sexist administration. That part of the plan was also in motion. That left step two...arguably the hardest step of all. 

Make new friends. 

Ruby had seen the true colors of a lot of the cheerios and while she wasn’t a grudge keeper by any means, she’d always remember this moment—who showed up for her and who didn’t. She knew girls could be catty, but she hadn’t expected this level of selfishness. It just went to show her how naive she truly was. There wasn’t much she could do about it other than try to find some new people who would mean it when they said they were in her corner. She didn’t have a clue about where to start, but when Lemon suggested the New Directions at Mr. Schuester’s wedding...well, it was kind of appealing. 

Ruby could hold a tune and she loved music. Did she possess Ivy's level of intensity about show choir or Stevie’s competitiveness or Julien’s shameless passion? Definitely not. But from what she understood about the New Directions, they were like a family or whatever. A group of kids who didn’t all fit together perfectly but somehow found it in themselves to be there when it counted. That was the energy she needed. So, after working all week long on a song with the help of Lemon Lopez-Pierce who brought on Baby Puckeman, Ruby finally felt ready to audition for the New Directions come Friday. 

She walked into the choir room alone on Friday, but felt immediately supported by the affirming look she got from Lemon and even Baby. Apparently she wasn’t the only one looking to join, so she took a seat next to Lemon and watched with bright eyes as the allegedly homophobic Vince Hart took to the center of the room and performed a seemingly impromptu Taylor Swift medley. Ruby’s jaw dropped when she realized this was absolutely a gay serenade. If every week was this eventful in glee club? She was definitely in the right place. 

She clapped at the end of Vince’s performance and watched amusedly as Cam’s sister started tearing up on one side of the room while other people congratulated Vince on his audition. Once the initial excitement died down though, Mr. Schue got everyone focused again and called Ruby up to the center of the room. Oh fuck. She’d almost forgotten she was here to sing too. “RIght,” she said, taking a quick breath before she got up and planted herself in front of the New Directions. “I’m Ruby,” she started, heart thumping nervously in her chest as she glanced around at all her peers—some of which were also cheerios, “you guys probably already know that.” Ruby tried to take her mom’s advice, to picture everyone in the crowd wearing their underwear...but that didn’t really work when the entire audience had seen her in her underwear (or less). Oh well, no backing down now.

“I’ve never really done this before,” she admitted, mostly to Dan Schuester, “so I like...I asked for some help. I hope that’s cool.” Another page out of her mom’s book. She grinned as she waved Baby and Lemon over to her side. When choosing a song, she knew she wanted to do Dolly. Lemon and Baby had shared stories about their moms and the ‘unholy trinity,’ which was what inspired the trio arrangement and the simple but sharp choreography. 

One they were in their places, Ruby eyed one of the band geeks and gave them a nod—“hit it.” Lovesick Blues from Honky Tonk Angels (notoriously linked to the walmart yodel boy) was one of Ruby’s favorite songs of all time and as soon as the music started, a devilish smile graced her face and she opened her mouth to sing. 

Got a feelin' 'cause I'm blue, oh, Lord, since my daddy said goodbye. 

The three girls sang in their triangle formation with Ruby at the center. With Lemon and Baby backing her up, Ruby felt supported and confident. 

Now I'm in love, I'm in love with a wonderful guy, that's what's the matter with me. Well, I'm in love, I'm in love with a wonderful guy, but he don't care about me.

The longer the number went on, the more fun she had, and by the time they reached the final verse, she was belting her heart out like her life hadn’t fallen apart a couple of weeks ago. 

I've grown so used to that man, and how and I'm nobody's sugar baby now. 'Cause I'm lonesome, I got the lovesick blues.

Ruby let out a breathless, almost surprised chuckle as the song came to a close and she was enveloped in a hug by Lemon and Baby while the choir room filled with applause. Had they really just done that? Holy shit. “Um,” she gulped, unable to stop grinning from ear to ear, “that was pretty fucking cool.” Oop. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth. “Sorry,” a shrug, “can we curse in here?” She placed her hands on her hips as she tried to compose her joy. "So...what do I do now? Am I in?” The tea about the New Directions was that everyone got in. Dan Schuester formally welcomed her and told her to take a seat before making his way over to the white board to scrawl next week’s lesson in marker—Lorde vs. Cher. As Ruby settled into her seat and looked around at her new teammates, she felt a calm wash over her. It wasn’t the cheerios, and it certainly wasn’t perfect, but she’d take it.  

[roguesandsaviors]

Cover Story Needed

Fandom: The Walking Dead Characters: Negan, Reader Pairing: Negan x Reader Summary: In a moment of desperation, you lie to one of your coworkers about having a boyfriend, needing to avoid his skeevy pick up attempts for the next company dinner. The only one who might be able to help is your friend and neighbor, Negan.  Word Count: 4,521 Rating: SFW Warning: Cursing, Negan being Negan, some violence, threatening behavior Author’s Note: This is for Meg’s 11K Follower challenge. Thanks to @thranduilsperkybutt for hosting it. The prompts were Au and trope based, which was an absolute blast. This is the first of a few fics (three but possibly more) I signed up for. Fake dating/pretend couple and Negan? How could I possibly pass that up. I haven’t done a lot of reader insert fics because I find I often struggle with them. So I hope this came out okay. Not Beta-ed so all mistakes are my own.

********************************************************************

Another social event, a plea for money in disguise, and another chance for that prick of a coworker to annoy the shit out of you. You weren’t sure that you could stomach it but there was no real way to back out of the obligation. The company was requiring your presence, asking you to give a presentation on the latest research that was coming out of your department.

The word got out about the event and in no time, Charles had made his way over to you, a grin on his face that made you want to smack him. He had no reason to be that cocky about anything. He was a subpar scientist at best and in no way was he God’s gift to women like he thought that he was.

“Hey, Y/N. I was hoping that we could talk about the dinner coming up. I know that they are having you give a presentation. But, I thought that we could go together. You know, have someone nice on your arm and make the evening even better. Maybe we could even have our own little presentation afterwards.” The thought made you want to gag. How he had not gotten fired for sexual harassment was beyond you.  A tight smile came to your face and you shook your head.

“I’m sorry Charles. I already have someone that I will be going with.” He frowned and leaned in closer, causing you to lean back more.

“We just found out about it. How can you possibly have someone to go with.”

“It’s my boyfriend.” You were going to owe Negan big time for this one. Whatever he asked for, he was going to get it.

“Boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend?” His displeasure was growing more obvious by the moment, which was only causing your discomfort to grow worse.

“That’s frankly none of your business. Now, I would appreciate it if you would leave me to my work.” It had been a long time since you had shoved your foot in your mouth that badly but there was no one that he had been ready to accept no for an answer. You just prayed that Negan was free and willing to go along with the plan.

You and Negan had been neighbors for close to five years and friends for a little over half of that time. A grill incident in your backyard had led to some shared take out and a couple of beers. It had been a Friday night ritual since. It was a nice way for him to unwind after his week and served as a pick me up for any pending crises that could arise over the weekend for you.

You settled your bag down on the table, keys tossed into their bowl before toeing off your shoes. It was better to get a hold of the man in question now than delay things and perseverate on them. It was just a matter of figuring out whether to go over to his place and ask or call him. Embarrassment was going to happen either way and you were trying to figure out which method was going to save a little  more face.

The decision was taken out of your hands when you heard his voice calling through an open window.

“About fucking time you got home, Y/N.” He grumbled, though the grin on his face spoke a different story. “It was a fucking shit day at the office. Picked a bottle of that stuff that you like along with a bottle of whiskey for myself. Figured we could settle in, watch some horrible b rated action movie and get shit faced.”  Nothing really sounded better at that moment.

“The doors unlocked. Come on in.” Maybe you could wait until you were a little drunk before springing the question on him. Then you could at least blame any awkwardness on the alcohol. That seemed like a good plan.

Negan pushed open the back door and the clinging of bottles could be heard.

“How was your day?”

“I got pegged to give a presentation of the latest research at the dinner that is planned Saturday night.”

“That’s awesome. Congrats doll.”

“Actually, I was hoping that I could talk to you about that.”

“All fucking ears.” You had been hoping that he would push it off but as you moved to the kitchen, you could see that he was pouring drinks for the both of you.

“Uh, well you see, Charles asked to go with me.”

“That asshole still bothering you?” It wasn’t the first time that you had brought up the other man’s name. Negan knew that he made you feel uncomfortable. “Wait, you aren’t going with him are you?” He stopped what he was doing and looked up, something passing over his face that you couldn’t read.

“Oh god no. I haven’t been on a date in months but that is a level of desperation that I will never reach.” He laughed and relaxed a bit, moving to hand you the glass that he had poured.

“Good. Prick like that doesn’t need anyone giving into that pressure bullshit. He’s lucky that he doesn’t run into me.” That was going to change if he agreed to your request.

“Actually, you might. See, I told him that I had a boyfriend and couldn't’ go with him since I was going with someone else.”

“Fucker should have just taken no for an answer.”

“I know Negan. The excuse came out before I could help it. I didn’t mean to lie about it.”

“So you want me to go with you?” Not much escaped the man, that was certain.

“I was hoping you weren’t busy on Saturday. You’re the only one I trust enough to do this.”

“Well, I’m flattered, doll. And you just so happen to be in luck that my Saturday is clear.” He smirked and took a sip of his glass. “This mean I have to behave? Or can I knock the fuckers teeth down his throat if he causes any issue.” It was a work function and you would prefer not to have to deal with any fallout of an altercation. At the same time, the thought of watching Negan put Charles into his place was  more than appealing.

“You know what, I don’t care. He’ll have it coming if he does something stupid.”

“That’s the spirit. I didn’t even need to get you drunk for that.” He teased as he threw an arm around your shoulders. “Think I’m rubbing off on you, Y/N.” He led you to the couch, where you both plopped down. After having spent so much time panicking about what he would say and what you would have to do if he said no, you were feeling more than ready to unwind and drink away the stress of the day. The burn in your throat was welcomed as you took a long drink from the glass, hearing the snicker from the man beside you. Blindly, you reached out and smacked him on the arm, already knowing where he was going to go with a comment.

“Pick out a movie already.” You mumbled and kicked your feet up.

“Yes ma’am.” He teased, earning himself another smack. He flicked through a few channels before finding something that looked God awful, just the sort of movie that you both needed to forget the days that you had. *************************** The night had come and you were feeling nervous about it all over again. Negan had put up a little bit of a stink when he had learned that he would need to get dressed up for it. The entire event was being held at a rather high end hotel and there would be plenty of potential donors and other important members of the board present.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to clean up that nice.” You looked towards Negan, surprised to see just how sharp he looked in his suit. You weren’t ever one to deny that he was good looking but the thoughts had not gone any further than that. He was your friend and that was a relationship that you didn’t want to lose.

“Ain’t the only looking fine doll.” He winked as he whistled, a low sound, taking in the outfit you had chosen for the evening. It was nothing over the top but it suited the fact that you would be standing behind a podium talking to a large room full of fellow scientists. A flowing blouse and skirt that dropped to halfway down your calves made up your outfit. You looked down at yourself, not wanting to blush in front of the man. “I’ll have the best looking lady on my arm tonight.”

“Alright mister smooth talker. Are you ready to go?”

“Easy Y/N. I’m just playing with you. Come on.” He led you over to his Camaro. It was a pet project of his, something that you had watched him work on and restore piece by piece over the past year.

“I didn’t realize that you finished her up.” He opened the door for you.

“Got her done a couple weeks ago but was saving giving her the first drive for a special occasion.” Some heat came to your cheeks as he spoke about it being a special occasion. It was nothing more than a friend helping a friend. Negan was being kind and offering to pretend to be your boyfriend for the evening. There wasn’t much that was special about that. Though, he was also trying to show up Charlies and that was a reason enough to pull this beauty out for a proper drive.

The drive over was enjoyable, filled with the usual back and forth banter that had come to be the norm between you two. You found some comfort in that, a solid footing that was familiar when there was going to be so many off kilter moments coming up.

“You ready doll?” He asked as he pulled the car to a stop.

“Not like I can back out of it.” You stared at the building in front of you, knowing that no matter how much you would have liked to head back home and spend the evening lounging with Negan, there was no chance of that happening. Giving the presentation wasn’t the problem. It was the evening surrounding it that had you nervous.

“Of course you fucking can. I can turn this car around right now.” You offered him a smile, appreciating what he was willing to do for you. He was a good friend.

“No.” You shook your head. “Thank you though.”

“Well then, let’s get this fucking show on the road. You just gotta get through this presentation, we’ll eat a little, and head home so you can get shit faced and forget about all this bullshit.” The comment finally got a small laugh out of you.

“Thank you Negan.”

“You’re welcome, Y/N.” You both got out of the car and Negan moved over, offering his hand. Taking it, you let out a slow breath to keep all the nerves as reigned in as possible. The warmth of his hand was comforting and after a nod, the two of you made your way to the conference room.

There were already a lot of bodies milling about, most having drinks in hand. That didn’t seem like a bad idea but you couldn’t get away with drinking too much. Being drunk, giving the presentation would make things easier in that moment but had some horrible long term consequences. You pushed off the feeling and found yourself giving Negan’s hand a squeeze. He hadn’t moved from your side and was observing the room around you.

Before you had the chance to say anything to him, Charles and Richard, your boss came up to the two of you. Charles was already eyeing Negan while Richard was all smiles. That was odd. Your boss was a cheery person, and thankfully someone who believed in the work that you did. You had come against your fair share of men who still thought that science belonged to them and women had no place.

“Good evening Miss Y/L/N. And who do you have with you.” He held out his hand to Negan, who shook it with a smile but it was hard to miss the look that he was giving Charles. He already knew who the man was.

“Good evening Richard. This is my significant other, Negan.” Boyfriend felt a little childish but in this setting. You settled on the more adult sounding title, though it still felt odd coming from your mouth.

“Pleased to meet  you.”

“Likewise.” He offered before it became obvious that you were going to have to introduce Charles.

“My coworker Charles.” You offered as your hand tightened in his again. The stare down was tense and even Richard seemed to pick up on it as the smile faltered. The handshake between the two men was stiff at best. There were no words exchanged between them and you rocked on your heels for a moment, just waiting for the fight to break out. Negan didn’t have great self control at times but you hoped that given the setting, he would be behaved.

“Gotta admit, I thought Y/N was pulling my leg when she said that she had a boyfriend.” You swallowed, hoping that he wouldn’t poke and prod too much. It wasn’t like you and Negan didn’t know each other well but surely someone who decided to look into it enough would find holes in whatever story you had come up with.

“Now why would she do something like that?” His hand left yours, instead sliding around your waist and keeping you close to his side. It was a more intimate touch than the hand holding for sure. You found yourself relaxing into the touch though instead of tensing. It wasn’t like being pressed against him was new, you often fell asleep on him during drunk movie nights, but this was in public, in front of people that thought you were a couple.

“How did you two meet?”

“We are neighbors actually.” Negan started before you could. “She ended up having a fire, trying to grill something. I don’t even remember what at this point. I had to hop the fence to put the fucker out. Shared a couple of drinks and it went from there. She couldn’t resist my charms.” He winked down at you, and you swore you felt your cheeks heat up. That was easy enough, since he went with the event that started your friendship. It wasn’t what you had discussed but it was easier and more believable.

“Bit embarrassing but he seemed to find it endearing enough.” You finally found your voice and gave him a smile before looking back at the other two. Richard was easy about but Charles still didn’t look convinced. Warm lips met your cheek and you were definitely blushing now. Negan’s soft chuckle was close to your ear but the action just sold the story further.

“We have you giving your presentation after a small speech from Frank. Are you ready?” Richard was able to turn back to the matter at hand and you were grateful.

“Yeah, I have everything put together.” You reached into your purse and produced a USB drive. “Everything is on there.” He took the device from you.

“I’ll go get everything set up. I’m sure that it will be fantastic.” He didn’t need to remind you who was here. You could see several important faces in the crowd over his shoulder. All you had to do was give the presentation, eat, kiss some ass, and you and Negan could get out of there. You were left in an awkward position with Charles. He wasn’t walking off to mingle like he should have been. He was standing there, watching the two of you with a critical eye.

“Excuse us, but I think we both need a drink.” Instead of leaving you on your own with him, he pulled you along towards the small bar that had been set up.

“Thank you.” You mumbled.

“Prick was begging for me to knock him the fuck out.” He grumbled right back before ordering you both something to ease the nerves.

“We shouldn’t have to put up with too much of him. Hopefully he will be kissing too much ass to get his project more funding. That is what normally happens here. After we eat, I have to do a little bit of the same and we can get out of here.”

“Whatever you gotta do. I got free booze and food out of it. I’m in it for the long haul.” He winked again as he handed you the cool glass. You wanted to guzzle it down but that would just cause more problems. You sipped it slowly, savoring the high end liquor.

“I’ll have to remember that for future events.” You found yourself teasing.

“I’m a cheap fucking date.” He sipped his drink before glancing around. “Who would have thought that science is all this shit?”

“Mainly this shit. Can’t happen without money. And most aren’t willing to give it up easily. Though I suppose it’s better than having to beg in front of a grant committee.”

“Shit, sounds like having to stand in front of the school board.” You laughed again.

“Yeah, I guess they are probably like one another. Come on, let’s go find somewhere to sit.” He led you towards a table that seemed decently full, something that surprised you until you realized that Charles was hovering again. He was trying to find a spot that the man wouldn’t be able to join them at. It was a smart decision.

Negan pulled your chair out with a smile.

“Can have some manners when the moment calls for it.” He teased as you sat down. You would only get a few minutes before having to give your presentation. This was a way to relax though before that. Another sip of your drink and you ignored the fact that Charles was lingering.

“Color me shocked.” He made sure no one was looking as he flipped your off subtly. It brought another laugh from you and had him smiling. That was more like it. There were a few smiles sent in your direction but no one offered more conversation at the moment.

*********************************** The presentation had gone well enough and from the sounds of it, you had impressed several of the donors. All in all, it was a fairly successful night for you. Finally though, it was over and you were grateful. Negan had an arm around your shoulders as he led you out. It had started to rain so he paused at the entrance.

“Let me grab the car, doll. Wait right here. I’ll be right back.”

“I don’t mind walking in the rain Negan.”

“Just fucking wait.” He laughed a bit and moved out into the downpour. You shook your head, feeling the smile pulling at your lips despite trying to hold back.

“Impressive.” You tensed immediately at hearing Charles so close. “I am surprised that everyone bought the story.” You looked at him out of the corner of your eye.

“What do you mean story?” You asked innocently, hoping that he would buy it. If tonight hadn’t worked though, the likelihood was low that he would buy anything now. You tightened your arms over your chest and hoped that he wouldn’t press too hard, or that someone would come up and save you from the conversation. It would be best if Negan appeared with the car.

“Don’t feed me that bullshit. There is no way that you two are actually dating.”

“And why is that Charles?” You asked, unable to hold back on some of the frustration that you were feeling. The whole point of this thing with Negan was to keep the man from talking to you or bugging you about this whole thing. You had thought that you had played the evening well.

“His eyes wandered half the evening. You two are friends at best. I mean the body language between the two of you screams friends but nothing more.” You could have started screaming. No one was coming to your rescue and Negan had yet to appear with the car. You were stuck dealing with this prick until one of those two things happened. You could step outside but if you made it to where you parked and Negan wasn’t there, it could cause trouble. Who knew if Charles would bother to leave it be even then. He could follow you outside and then you could be in real trouble. No, it was safer to stay where you were and wait it out the best that you could.  “Come on Y/N, give it up. Why won’t you go out with me.”

“I don’t want to, Charles.” You replied firmly, though the hair on the back of your neck was beginning to stand up. A pit was forming in your gut as the man shifted closer before he had a hand on the small of your back and at your elbow. “Get off of me.”

“I just want to talk. Why don’t we head back?”

“Because I don’t want to. I thought that I made that clear enough. Get your hands off of me.” You squirmed and attempted to pull away but his hold just tightened. Your brain was screaming right now. You had to get away from him. No matter what. You could cause enough of a scene that he would have to let go of you.

Just as you were about to start screaming, Negan pulled and his smile dropped as soon as he saw the position that you were in. You were silently pleading for help, still trying to pull away from Charles.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” That was a tone that you weren’t used to hearing from Negan. He was pissed and he was marching right towards the both of you. If the situation had been different, maybe you would have been intimidated by the posture and the fire in his eyes. Right now, you were thankful that he was willing to intervene. “Get your fucking hands off of her right now.” He was standing next to you in the blink of an eye. He reached out, shoving Charles in the shoulder while his other hand gently encompassed your wrist and pulled you behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Charles responded, pissed that Negan had laid hands on him.

“Oh, can dish it out but can’t fucking take it huh? You don’t like it when someone lays hands on you without permission.” Negan snarled. “You don’t fucking touch a woman after she has said no. It’s a lesson you better fucking learn quick asshole. Or I’ll be glad to make sure you remember it for the rest of your life.” He stepped closer and you could see the tension in his shoulders. If you didn’t do something about it, there was going to be a full blown fight.

“You aren’t going to do anything.” You looked towards the ceiling, knowing that Charles was signing his own fate.

“Come on Negan, let’s just go, please.” You softly begged, hoping that it was enough to pull the man out of his anger. If you could just get him to focus on you long enough, maybe you could convince him to just leave it be and head home.

“You’re just a nobody and aren’t good enough for someone like Y/N. The only way you can get close is pretending to date her.” Charles goaded, not letting the subject rest, allowing you to pull Negan away. It was apparently the last bit of pushing that Negan needed. You watched his arm cock back and before you could do anything, the punch had landed. Charles stumbled back, blood already falling down his face. There was something satisfying about the whole incident. He had been such a thorn in your side for so long that seeing some justice served was overdue. That didn’t change the fact that you were still in the hotel and the scene had attracted plenty of attention.

“You might be right. I’m not fucking good enough. But at least I respect her and don’t force myself on Y/N unlike you. It’s no wonder that you can’t find a girl.” He rolled his shoulders and turned to look at you, looking apologetic. “Come on doll, let’s get out of here.” He wrapped an arm around you and ignored everyone that was closing in. He led you to the car, opening the door once more to let you in before running to his side of the car.

“Shit, Y/N. I’m sorry.” He huffed as he took off, not looking at you.

“There isn’t anything for you to be sorry about Negan.” You offered softly. Sure, he had made a scene and there would be fallout to deal with at work. You could handle that. “Thank you for putting him in his place.”

“I caused a fucking scene with your coworkers and who the fuck knows what the fuck is going to happen when you have to go back on Monday.” He shook his head before finally looking in your direction. “I wasn’t going to let him keep his hands on you when you were uncomfortable and clearly didn’t want it. No man has that right with a woman and I have no problem reminding them of it.” You reached out and squeezed his arm. It was more than anyone else had done. Everyone at work let him get away with the behavior, or just flat out didn’t see it.

“I can handle whatever fallout comes my way. That isn’t a problem.” You didn’t want him feeling bad about that, or worrying that he had just made you lose your job. Richard wasn’t going to fire you over that sort of incident. You hadn’t been the one to be physical. You were confident on that front. The rest of the drive was quiet, Negan seemingly not wanting to talk about it anymore. It wasn’t like you could push him for more so you let it be and played the events over again. In the rush of it all, hoping that Charles wouldn’t lash out in response, you had missed the fact that he had thought himself not good enough for you. That was far from the truth. He was an attractive man but you hadn’t let yourself think about it any more than the occasional passing thought. You were friends and you valued that. His interest in women always seemed to be passing anyway. That sort of behavior had been worked out of your system in college and you weren’t interested in warming a bed for a night every now and then. It would never work out between you two. Right?